The Village Street c. 1935 - 1940

Isami Doi's woodblock print, "The Village Street," uses stark black and white to create this really graphic scene; you can just imagine the artist cutting away at the block, bit by bit. What I love is how he doesn't hold back. Look at the tree on the right, how the leaves are like little hands reaching out, or the hillside in the background with those radiating lines. There is something so playful and inventive about the way Doi sees the world. The way the sun is depicted reminds me of children’s book illustrations, or maybe even woodcuts by someone like Gauguin, but with a folk art twist. The whole scene has this dreamlike quality to it, like a memory half-forgotten. It’s this combination of boldness and naivety that makes Doi's prints so engaging. It feels like he's inviting us to see the world with a fresh, uninhibited perspective.