"Yuga Shoei (Playing Gracefully, Swimming with a Smile)" is a work that entrusts one way of life to a single quiet landscape. A willow tree and the wind passing through it. Three goldfish swimming through the sky. And a figure standing with quiet dignity, bathed in morning light. Even amid harsh winds, live as if playing gracefully and swimming with a smile: this painting depicts that state of heart.
Willow and wind: supple, yet never falling
The theme is the way of life expressed in the Japanese phrase "like wind through a willow." In strong winds and harsh conditions, the willow lets its leaves go with the wind, yielding without resistance, yet its trunk stands firmly rooted in the earth. Look closely and you will see that its bark is deeply lined, like the wrinkles of a person: proof of long years of meeting the wind head-on. To be supple, to let things flow past: this is not weakness, but a form of strength that keeps one from falling. When I looked back on my own days living within an organization and within society, it was this willow that came to mind.
Three goldfish swimming in the sky: joy even amid hardship
Between the willow's branches, three goldfish swim through the sky. It is a scene impossible in reality, but I simply wanted to let them swim in this sky. Precisely because we live amid harsh winds, I want to never forget to enjoy life and keep a playful heart even in the thick of it; the goldfish are the expression of that wish. I chose three because, from the perspective of spirituality and numerology, I cherish the number 3 as the number of harmony and balance. The color the red goldfish add to the sky creates a rhythm in the quiet painting, like a small smile.
Morning light and a dignified presence
Standing close beside the willow's shade is a figure dressed in white. In the distance, the morning sun. Bathed in its rays, hair and clothing flowing in the wind, she stands there looking refreshed. Purity, grace, and quiet dignity that are not lost even amid hardship. Protected by the tree, yet standing firmly on her own feet: I wanted to paint that quiet beauty. It is also my own tribute to the gentle yet resilient presence nurtured by Japan's climate and culture.
Cymatics in the background: vibrations of harmony riding the wind
Faintly spreading in the depth of the painting, centered on the sun, is cymatics, a pattern created by sound. I layered the image of "riding the wind" onto the resonance of a high frequency and, after much deliberation, arrived at this form. The shape of octagons connecting and spreading from the center carries my wishes for wa (harmony) and joy. Harmony connecting one after another from the center, riding the wind and spreading into the world: that vibration quietly fills the entire painting along with the morning light.
Yuga Shoei: playing gracefully, swimming with a smile
The title "Yuga Shoei" means to play with elegance (miyabi) and to swim while smiling. Letting things pass like wind through a willow, finding joy even in hardship, and living each day as if swimming with a smile. Looking back on my own path, I realized this had been a sure state of mind for living within an organization. A way of life different from loud, forceful strength. I would be happy if this painting could let a gentle breeze pass through the heart of someone who is enduring something in their days right now.
Painter KOHIKO (光日子)
