<b>CYPRESS TREE AT POINT LOBOS</b> / Chiura Obata20th Century<B>SOLD</B></em>

Details

A lone weathered cypress tree stands heroically along the California shore. The tree’s gnarly roots lay partially exposed, exhibiting the tree’s determination and steadfastness through adversity. The cypress’s proud stance is angled to meet the wind and elements head-on as they move across the ocean. Its branches and leaves extend toward the water, echoing its restless current.

This cypress is one of the many trees that appear at Point Lobos National Park, just south of Carmel, California. This coast plays host to several large, majestic trees that have been weathered by the elements. Known as “Ghost Trees”, they stand in various states of disrepair as a testament to the power and resilience of nature. No doubt the artist was moved and inspired by the site of these trees. Their weathered constitution certainly evoked in Obata’s mind the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi, which refers to an aesthetic admiration of finding beauty in rustic, weathered, and imperfect objects. In so doing, one finds beauty in the impermanent and incompleteness of things.

Connoisseur's Note

This stunning large-scale watercolor is in excellent condition with no problems to note. The colors are sharp and vibrant, and the paper is free of any abrasions or remnants from previous mounts. The work appears to have been kept in an archival environment which has preserved the work in an exceedingly fine state of preservation. Large-scale watercolors by Obata are exceedingly rare and are now sought-after by institutions worldwide. The work is signed and sealed in the lower left corner.