Hanging Flower Basket of Ryū Rikyō Taste c. early 20th century

This hanging flower basket was made by Tanabe Chikuunsai, though the exact date is unknown, using bamboo. Look closely and you can see how the basket’s woven texture has a rhythmic quality, each strand playing off the other in a dance of light and shadow. The color is a deep, earthy brown, which feels both natural and refined. If you zoom in, you can almost feel the suppleness of the bamboo, pliable yet strong. My eye keeps coming back to the handle, where the bamboo is twisted and bound. It makes me think about the artist’s hands, carefully shaping and coaxing the material into form. There’s a real sense of intimacy there. It reminds me a bit of Eva Hesse’s rope sculptures, the way she used repetition and simple materials to create complex, organic forms. Like Hesse, Chikuunsai embraces the inherent qualities of his medium, allowing the bamboo to speak for itself. It’s this willingness to let go of control, to embrace the unexpected, that makes the piece so compelling.