flute, bass clarinet, harp, and string quartet; duration ca. 8’30”

      While taking a class on Japanese art history in the fall of 2023, I became fascinated by Itō Jakuchū’s Yasai Nehan (“Vegetable Nirvana”, ca. 1792), an ink painting modeled after the traditional genre of “nehan-zu”, or paintings of the death of the Buddha. Instead of the historical Buddha, however, Jakuchū’s painting centers on a reclining radish, surrounded by a variety of fruits and vegetables – pumpkins, mushrooms, pears, melons et cetera. My first impression was that the painting was quite funny, but I soon learned that it was not intended to be perceived as parody. Jakuchū came from a family of greengrocers, and “Vegetable Nirvana” may be seen as a memorial to a lost family member. The painting also relates to the traditional symbolism of radishes and the idea that plants are capable of attaining Buddhahood; and its composition parallels canonical iconography deliberately and clearly.

      It was this contrast between surface-level humor and a sense of sincerity that fascinated and captivated me, and which spurred the beginnings of this piece. Though I at times drew inspiration from the charm and melancholy of the painting’s visuals, my music admittedly has little to do with radishes, Buddhism, or family history. Instead, I focused on the question of how perceptions of the same material might be changed over time – from irreverent to heartfelt, perplexing to coherent, sarcastic to genuine – and how the line between irony and sincerity could be blurred.