Toru Kamei’s lush works are reminiscent of vanitas paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries. His motifs are flowers with eyes, skulls, butterflies, and other creatures including bats and beetles. His masterful use of lighting and color brings a sumptuous glow to his illustration of death and decay. I love his juxtapositional imagery, such as the blossoms overflowing and spilling from the rib cage in almost obscene abundance, while strange, alien, seemingly sentient vegetation grows around it in the night, with its sense of still, mysterious hunger.
I love these. Sounds silly, but I feel a lot of life in them. And they seem very kind and sweet.
@ Alice: I can see where you get that sense from. I sort of have a fond feeling for them, too, those lopsided skulls.