Steep Peaks in the Evening Glow

On fine silk, rugged rock peaks washed in tones of blue and green rise before a delicately pink-tinted sky, over which a small red sun or moon hovers, lending the entire scene an atmospheric light.

In the foreground, gnarled pines and a flowering plum branch grow from the rocky ground, two motifs that in Japanese pictorial tradition stand for endurance and renewal after winter. A narrow waterfall can be glimpsed between the rock faces, adding further movement to the otherwise tranquil composition.

The shifting green tones of the peaks, ranging from warm ochre to cool blue-gray, reveal a confident hand in color gradation and create an impressive sense of spatial depth on a narrow format. At the lower right, the painter's signature and red seal can be seen.