Peony

Work on Paper

DePaul Art Museum

Name/Title

Peony

Entry/Object ID

2010.48

Description

Image of figure overlapped with flowers.

Artwork Details

Medium

Archival pigment print hand lithograph

Acquisition

Notes

Collection of DePaul Art Museum, gift of Lawrence Lithography Workshop (Michael Sims)

Made/Created

Artist

Takamori, Akio

Date made

2010

Ethnography

Notes

Asia Japan North America United States born in Japan

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Location

recto B

Transcription

[signature] 2010

Material/Technique

graphite

Type

Inscription

Location

Verso T

Transcription

Peony 5/135

Material/Technique

graphite

Type

Inscription

Location

Verso BLC

Transcription

AT-10-6

Material/Technique

graphite

Type

Inscription

Location

Verso BLC

Transcription

The Lawrence Lithography Workshop [geometric symbol]

Material/Technique

Grey ink stamp

Lexicon

Legacy Lexicon

Class

WORKS ON PAPER

Dimensions

Dimension Description

image

Width

5 in

Length

8-1/8 in

Dimension Description

sheet

Width

6-1/4 in

Length

9-1/8 in

Dimension Description

mat

Width

16 in

Length

20 in

Interpretative Labels

Label

Akio Takamori (1950–2017) was a Japanese-American sculptural artist known for his ceramics. Takamori primarily gathers influence from the human body, with his figures resembling Japanese painting in the round faces, rosy cheeks, and soft features. Here, a red peony accentuates the rounded shape of the figure’s face. The flower grows from the figure’s chest and up into the skull, drawing the eye to not only the details of the flower but also the figure itself: a photograph of a painted sculpture that could almost be mistaken for a painting. In Japanese culture, peonies represent bravery and honor, but in the modern day, they are used as a sign of good luck for the bride and groom on their wedding day. —Izzy Saraceno