Poppies 1634 - 1666

Kitagawa Sōsetsu painted these poppies with ink and color on silk during the Edo period in Japan. Poppies, with their delicate petals, emerge here as symbols of beauty, pleasure, and sometimes oblivion. Consider how the poppy motif appears in ancient Greek art, often associated with Hypnos, the god of sleep, and Morpheus, the god of dreams. These associations evolved, linking the poppy to remembrance and sacrifice, as seen in the fields of Flanders during the First World War. The cyclical nature of the poppy, from bloom to seed, mirrors the cycle of life and death, a visual echo resonating through time, shaped by cultural memory. Its presence is a potent reminder of the past, always blooming anew in our collective consciousness.