"I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space" – William Shakespeare, in Hamlet

Quando amanhecer em Portugal, neste dia 20 de Março, estaremos a celebrar o Equinócio da Primavera enquanto a Terra do Sol Nascente sofre, mesmo quando as cerejeiras estão em flor.  
A minha homenagem, através da visão poética que Van Gogh nos deixou da Mãe-Terra.

One may recognize a Japanese influence even in Vincent van Gogh’s later work. In the stylized designs, the use of strong contours and contrasting colors, the cut-off compositions, and in his continuing interest in certain themes, such as blossoming trees or twisting branches.

Van Gogh made this painting after a Japanese print by Hiroshige from the extensive collection he shared with his brother. He closely followed the composition of Hiroshige, but did not stick to the exact colours of the original. The Oriental characters he painted on the frame were derived from a Japanese example. The text they create has no coherent meaning and their function is primarily decorative.

The ancient plum tree that was the subject of the original print by Hiroshige had the poetic nickname of ‘the sleeping dragon plum tree’. A name it got from the way that the tree branched out via a network of underground roots only to emerge above ground somewhere else. Via.