Ishibe

This print, Ishibe, was made by Utagawa Hiroshige sometime in the mid 19th Century. It's a woodblock print, so the colours are flat and the lines are crisp, but there's also a softness, a kind of hazy atmosphere. You can feel the damp air, a cool day by the water. Look at the way he suggests the ground, with these tiny little dashes, almost like stitches. There's a real intimacy in that, a feeling of getting close to the earth. And the way the figures are placed, carrying their loads, they’re part of the landscape, not separate from it. The textures are so subtle; the layering creates depth, even with such a limited palette. Hiroshige reminds me of Agnes Martin in a way, that similar feel for composition. Both artists had the ability to create vast spaces with such simple marks, evoking a mood and a sense of place. These quiet, unassuming images really stick with you.