Field of Flowers

Filling the picture, a woman lies on her back in a green meadow, set on a diagonal. She rests her hands on her chest and hip, and her face is turned slightly upward. From the waist down she is covered by a thin cloth, and small blue and red flowers bloom here and there among the grass. Without drawing clear outlines, the painter layers fine brushstrokes and softly blurs the boundary between skin and grass.

In France, Okada Saburosuke learned from his teacher Raphael Collin a gentle style that places the nude in outdoor light. The influence is thought to be visible in this work, painted in 1917 (Taisho 6) as well. The combination of muted green and warm skin tones gathers the whole picture into a quiet tone. The woman's expression is calm, too, and although it depicts a nude, the picture conveys a composed lyricism to the viewer.

This work was designated an Important Cultural Property of Saga Prefecture in 2016. Together with "Examining an Arrow" and "Nude," which are also prefectural Important Cultural Properties, it is a central work of the Saga Prefectural Art Museum's Okada Saburosuke collection, and is introduced, with rotations of the display, in the permanent gallery "OKADA-ROOM" inside the museum.