Two carps 1900 - 1910

Ohara Koson made this print, Two Carps, in the early part of the twentieth century using traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques. The overlapping fish, rendered in shades of grey, seem to dissolve into the pale blue water around them. It's all very subtle. Looking closely, I notice the way the scales are each meticulously marked with a cross-hatch pattern. It’s not just about representation; it's about rhythm and texture. The texture is implied more than physical, as it's a print, but the gentle gradations of tone give the fish volume. The whole image is really about surface and depth, the scales providing a kind of visual key to this push and pull. It puts me in mind of Whistler's interest in Japanese prints, and the way he was able to translate a sense of tonal harmony into his paintings of the Thames. It’s like these artists are all part of one extended conversation across time, each offering a slightly different way of seeing the world.