Reflections

Mortimer Menpes

1901

Watercolour

Source: Japan, A Record in Colour, facing p. 72

Here, children are gathered in a ring around a fire (much to closely, it seems), with an adult watching. Fire often has a role in Japanese ritual. For example, New Year decorations are ritually burned at the end of the New Year period. There is no explanation for this painting in the text, but any such event would have had obvious appeal to the artist who so loves to catch the play of light in his work. — Jacqueline Banerjee

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