Chrysanthemum and Horsefly, from an untitled series of Large Flowers

Chrysanthemum and Horsefly, from an untitled series of Large Flowers

Katsushika Hokusai

Details

Dimensions
26.5 × 38.8 cm (10 7/16 × 14 15/16 in.)
Origin
Japan
Department
Arts of Asia
Holding institution
Art Institute of Chicago
Image provider
art-institute-chicago
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
Clarence Buckingham Collection

Art Genome Taxonomy

10 tags

Subject Matter

  • Flora Both · 99%

    Chrysanthemum blossoms and foliage dominate the image, and the catalog title identifies the subject as “Chrysanthemum and Horsefly.”

  • Animals Both · 99%

    A small flying insect is clearly visible in the upper-left area, and the catalog title identifies it as a horsefly.

Visual Qualities

  • Dense Composition Visual · 97%

    Overlapping blossoms, stems, and leaves form a concentrated floral mass across the lower and central portions of the image.

  • Patterns Visual · 96%

    Repeated petal structures, leaf veins, and floral motifs produce strong ornamental patterning.

  • Highly Detailed Visual · 95%

    The blossoms and leaves are rendered with numerous fine contours and repeated internal details, especially in the petals and flower centers.

  • Asymmetrical Visual · 94%

    The floral cluster is balanced against a large pale field, with the insect isolated in open space and the inscription and seals placed at right.

  • Flatness Visual · 90%

    Broad areas of relatively unmodulated color bounded by crisp outlines are prominent throughout the print.

Medium and Techniques

  • Prints Metadata · 99%

    The museum classifies the object as a color woodblock print and print.

Time Periods

  • 19th Century Art Metadata · 99%

    The catalog dates the print to circa 1831–33, within the nineteenth century.

Geographic Regions

  • Japanese Art Metadata · 99%

    The work is identified as made in Japan, with Japanese culture or style recorded in the museum metadata.

Source & rights

Katsushika Hokusai. Chrysanthemum and Horsefly, from an untitled series of Large Flowers. The Art Institute of Chicago.