Artwork Description

Title: Ten Commandments (Peach)
Artist: Keiko Moriuchi
Date: n.d.
Medium: Mixed media on canvas
Dimensions: 28.6 x 23.9 in (72.7 x 60.6 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Ten Commandments (Peach) is a vibrant, jubilant composition by Keiko Moriuchi, executed in mixed media with rich textures and opulent color. The surface bursts with a constellation of colorful circular forms and gold-leaf embellishments scattered across a white ground. Swirls of green, pink, yellow, turquoise, and metallic pigments dance rhythmically within a border of geometric shapes outlined in red, green, purple, and silver. The painting’s lively, celebratory energy is elevated by its intricate, tactile surface, showcasing Moriuchi’s mastery of impasto and embellishment.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
This exuberant work exemplifies Moriuchi’s later-period practice—where material experimentation, spiritual iconography, and playful formalism converge. While her early Gutai-period works emphasized minimal gesture and bodily process, Ten Commandments (Peach) brings forward a maximalist vocabulary imbued with symbolic density. The Title: suggests a mytho-poetic or even spiritual dimension, with visual elements perhaps referencing celestial order or ritual diagrams. Her fusion of Eastern philosophical motifs with contemporary abstraction results in a uniquely transcultural aesthetic.

3. Historical Context
Having studied under Jiro Yoshihara and joined the Gutai Art Association in 1968, Moriuchi carried the group’s foundational ethos into her own highly individualized practice. Her time in New York during the mid-1960s connected her with the Western avant-garde, including abstract minimalists such as Ad Reinhardt. Yet Moriuchi charted her own path—combining Japanese material tradition with an increasingly bold, colorful, and textured style. This work, with its ornate surface and symbolic overtones, reflects her mature vision: one in which the playful and the profound intersect.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon request.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition, with excellent retention of color, texture, and surface integrity. No signs of damage or wear are present. Professionally framed and well preserved.

6. Artistic Significance
Ten Commandments (Peach) reflects Keiko Moriuchi’s enduring ability to fuse formal experimentation with spiritual inquiry. It is an intensely personal work, resonant with symbolic potential and physical exuberance. As part of her broader contribution to postwar abstraction and Gutai’s continuing legacy, this piece embodies the joyful and transcendent possibilities of painting. It would make a vibrant and significant addition to any collection of Japanese avant-garde or global contemporary art.