Noboru Sawai was known for combining themes, images, and techniques from Eastern and Western art into his varied and often challenging prints. Sawai was influenced by the Sosaku Hanga school but sought to reinvent and combine it with Western art themes.

In this work of art, Sawai combines Gustave Courbet's painting “Burial at Ornans” (1848) with a depiction of Hindu god Krishna and his human consort Radha in an erotic moment. On one hand the viewer is presented with a realist masterpiece from France, which elevated the lower rural classes to history with its size and composition. On the other, there is a circular insert referencing a Hindu religious legend, which also addresses issues of sexuality. Combined they question cultural practices and beliefs related to death, class, sexuality, and popular imagery as well as formal techniques like printmaking, etching, and modern art practices, including abstraction and portraiture. This print was purchased by the Department of Chemistry.