Grand Sumo Tournament of the Two Nations, from the Series ‘Long Live Japan! One Hundred Selections, One Hundred Laughs’ 1904

Kobayashi Kiyochika made this woodblock print, ‘Grand Sumo Tournament of the Two Nations’ with tools and techniques that are very different from what I use, but there is still an energy of line, and an interest in the balance of forms, that really interests me. The material aspect of woodblock printing results in images that are graphic, with flat areas of color delineated by strong outlines. Look at the way the bulk and weight of the central figure is defined by one continuous flowing line. It's as if the line is creating, or maybe containing, the energy of the figure. See how the artist has balanced this by offsetting the mass of the central figure with the floating text box. That strong expressive line reminds me of artists like Philip Guston. It reminds us that art is a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations.