Art Homme Masakï Matsushïma 2011

First, thanks to the Easter Bunny for placing this beautiful little fragrance in my Easter nest and thus fulfilling a scent wish.
Of course, I had to spray the fragrance today and comment on it right away.

Art Homme is the first Masaki Matsushima scent that I absolutely wanted to have. It completely stands out from the otherwise rather fresh men's range of this company.
Also, the "restraint" preferred by the Japanese when it comes to fragrances is conceived here in a different form. Art Homme is a rather unusual perfume with a beautiful scent development that reminds me of a chypre fragrance, without reproducing this scent progression in the classic variant. The description will therefore not be easy.

The opening of the fragrance is fruity-spicy with a really well-placed sharpness. Pepper can quickly lead to a sneezing fit. Here, you only feel a subtle pleasant tingling.

After the pepper has evaporated, the cardamom-mandarin note remains for a while. Gradually, it gently glides into a successful scent dialogue of a floral accord and softly dosed patchouli, giving the heart note a distant "Japanese" romance.

The base also maintains a certain restraint in the scent emotions. The pleasant balsamic woodiness is only slightly enhanced by a hint of musk. According to Japanese tradition, emotions were used pointedly to create an olfactory total work of art. The noble lacquer look of the chocolate-brown bottle, as well as its slender shape, further supports this impression. Only with the closure did they break with Japanese aesthetics and made it from mundane plastic. Despite all the artistry, this is a bittersweet note!

In my opinion, Art Homme is not a purely men's perfume. It can certainly also be worn by women. Art is not a loud perfume. However, it has enough strength to easily survive a date or an event, making it a good all-round fragrance.

Out of love for the scent, I read that Art Homme was inspired by the last real stylistic epoch, "Art Nouveau." In my opinion, Art Deco and its postmodern eclecticism would be the more fitting foundation.

My scent tip for all Japanophiles!

Addendum: Thanks to Turandot for the hint. Quote: "Eclecticism is rather negatively connoted as an expression and was understood in the field of art as an uninspired approach to what has already existed. A positive reassessment of the term occurred through postmodernism, which elevated the eclectic (quoting) approach to styles as a defining feature." Source: www.wissen.de