This meisen silk kimono displays a striking psychedelic pattern featuring undulating, wave-like forms in deep purple, teal green, chartreuse yellow, and cream. The design creates a mesmerizing flow of interlocking organic shapes that appear to ripple and surge across the fabric in continuous motion.

The pattern strongly anticipates and connects to several emerging art movements:

Proto-Psychedelic Art - While the full psychedelic movement wouldn't peak until the 1960s, this design prefigures that aesthetic with its fluid, consciousness-altering visual effects and vibrant color combinations that seem to pulse and move before the eyes.

Abstract Expressionism - The flowing, gestural quality of the forms reflects the movement's emphasis on spontaneous, expressive mark-making and emotional content through abstract forms.

Color Field painting - The bold use of saturated, contrasting colors creating optical vibration relates to the color theories being explored by artists like Josef Albers and later Op Art practitioners.

Organic Abstraction - The biomorphic, cell-like shapes echo the work of artists like Joan Miró and Jean Arp, who drew inspiration from natural forms while working in purely abstract modes.

The meisen dyeing technique's characteristic soft-edged, slightly blurred quality enhances the pattern's hypnotic effect, making the boundaries between colors appear to breathe and shift. This kimono represents a remarkable fusion of traditional Japanese textile craft with the experimental visual language of mid-century modernism, demonstrating how Japanese designers were absorbing and reinterpreting Western avant-garde aesthetics during this period of intense cultural exchange.

The upper inner lining (doura) is crafted from cotton, while the lower lining (hakkake) is made of silk, offering a textural contrast. It features a 'bachi-ero' (folded) collar, adding a touch of elegance to the overall design. Measuring 49 inches (124 cm) from sleeve-end to sleeve-end.

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This artwork is featured on page 283 of Art Kimono: Aesthetic Revelations of Japan, 1905-1960. This book, published by Yorke Antique Textiles, can be previewed or purchased on our website here.

This kimono also featured on page 136 of the January-February 2018 edition of Arts of Asia.

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