Name/Title
Kadowaki, Motoichi (Roy) (1885-1981) "Flower Arrangement"Entry/Object ID
2025.900.FA18185Tags
WatercolorDescription
This enigmatic watercolor is organized around the small figurine at left, probably a mythical Japanese fox-spirit called kitsune. Their intelligence and shape-shifting ability renders them an ambiguous omen: perhaps as shapeshifting tricksters, perhaps as spirit messengers. They could have as many as nine tails—suggested here by an additional eight curling cacti—at which time their fur turned white. This would be a very old, wise, and powerful kitsune. Two lotus blossoms in the dish, symbols of purity, render this compact still life to be of profound spiritual importance, and we see waves of fabric rippling around the moment.Collection
Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP CollectionDimensions
Height
16-1/2 inWidth
22-1/2 inCondition
Overall Condition
FairDate Examined
Jul 26, 2025Notes
1 scratch lower left corner, 2 holes top left/right middle/center marks/worn upper right corner/around edgesRecommendations
needs new frame and matProvenance
Provenance Detail
Created under the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project (1930s–1940s), this collection of easel paintings was originally installed at the Mount Morris Tuberculosis Sanitorium in Livingston County, New York. Following the sanitorium’s closure in 1970, the artworks were abandoned and remained in storage until their rediscovery decades later. Now preserved and exhibited by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA), the collection is housed at the New Deal Museum in Mount Morris. Current efforts include digitization, high-resolution photography, and the creation of an online archive to ensure long-term public access and research availability.General Notes
Note Type
Cataloging NoteNote
See the entry titled 'New Deal Collection Documents' for supporting documents, and general historic and research information.
