The Pillow Book — Four Seasons: Spring at Dawn

This work is inspired by The Pillow Book, a classic work of Japanese literature written by Sei Shōnagon, a court lady and writer of the Heian period (around the 10th–11th century). Among its many passages celebrating the beauty of the seasons, this painting focuses on the famous line, “Spring is at dawn.” Only distant mountains and the sky are depicted, allowing the quiet transition from night to morning to unfold in stillness. The sun remains hidden behind the mountains as the ridgeline begins to glow softly, while thin, purple-tinged clouds drift across the sky. A gentle balance of lingering darkness and approaching light captures the subtle beginning of spring. Through abstraction and restrained color, this work reinterprets a timeless Japanese sensibility for a contemporary moment. 本作は、平安時代の女流作家・清少納言が著した随筆『枕草子』に描かれる四季の情景をもとに制作した作品です。「春はあけぼの」という一節に着想を得ています。 遠くに連なる山々と空だけを描き、地上の気配を省くことで、夜から朝へ移ろう一瞬の空気を静かに表現しました。 太陽はまだ山の向こうに隠れ、稜線がかすかに白みはじめる頃、空には紫がかった雲が細くたなびき、夜明け前の澄んだ冷たさと、これから訪れる光の気配が同時に感じられます。 千年以上前の言葉が紡いだ、日本の美意識と春の始まりの感覚を、現代の抽象表現で描いた一枚です。