Groene pijnbomen op het witte strand 1914

Seisui made this painting of green pine trees on white beach at an unknown date, with what looks like ink and colors on silk. Looking at it, you can almost feel the breeze. It is so open and quiet, yet those trees, rendered with such care and detail, feel really alive. There is such an intimacy in the way the colors mix and blend, like the artist is really thinking about and experiencing every single branch and cluster of needles. That little glimpse of water feels really important; the way the dark green hues of the trees contrast with the bright blue creates a kind of tension, a charged energy. It reminds me a little of Hiroshige, especially in the way the natural world is depicted with such bold simplicity. It's so interesting how both artists see the world as something incomplete, always shifting and changing shape.