Artwork Description

Title: Peach of Kunlun Mountain 4
Artist: Keiko Moriuchi
Date: 2018
Medium: Mixed media on canvas
Dimensions: 35.8 x 28.6 in (91 x 72.7 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Peach of Kunlun Mountain 4 is a radiant and compositionally centered mixed media work by Keiko Moriuchi, created in 2018. The focal point is a mandala-like circular arrangement composed of layered pink blossoms with metallic gold accents, intricately assembled on a white ground. This central motif floats within a field of vivid crimson red, bordered by rhythmic hand-painted embellishments. The visual density of the center is contrasted by the expansive monochrome red space surrounding it, amplifying the symbolic gravitas of the composition.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Moriuchi’s work in this series reveals a synthesis of Gutai material expressiveness, sacred geometry, and the visual cadence of devotional ornament. The peach—here multiplied into a symmetrical emblem of life force—draws from East Asian mythologies, particularly the Daoist symbol of the Peach of Immortality from Mount Kunlun. The crimson field evokes ceremonial robes or temple interiors, heightening the sense of spiritual intimacy. Moriuchi’s use of impasto, gilding, and formal repetition echoes both ritual practice and the modernist pursuit of essential form.

3. Historical Context
Emerging from the postwar Japanese avant-garde, Moriuchi’s artistic journey traversed Osaka, Paris, and New York, culminating in her full integration into the Gutai Art Association in 1968. Her early experiments with installation and performance evolved into a materially dense, spiritually infused painting practice. By 2018, Moriuchi was engaged in a mature phase of her career, producing works that revisit ancient myth through a contemporary abstract lens. This painting stands as a meditation on legacy, vitality, and transformation.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition. The canvas is taut and structurally stable, with no visible wear, surface loss, or fading. The impasto, metallic foils, and pigmentation retain their full brilliance. No conservation treatment has been applied or required.

6. Artistic Significance
Peach of Kunlun Mountain 4 exemplifies Moriuchi’s visionary synthesis of symbolic form and contemporary abstraction. The central mandala operates as both visual and spiritual nucleus—at once grounded and transcendent. Through the recurring peach motif and her vivid palette, Moriuchi offers a work that invites contemplation on immortality, energy, and the continuity of cultural inheritance. This piece enriches the broader series with a sense of ceremonial clarity and timeless elegance, reaffirming her status as one of the most nuanced voices in post-Gutai abstraction.