Twee ganzen aan een rivier 1900 - 1930

Ohara Koson made this print of two geese near a river, and although it is not painted, it is a deeply painterly print. I imagine the artist carefully layering each shade of grey, allowing the image to appear gradually. I think of Koson considering how the flat blocks of color interact, and where to place the delicate lines describing the feathers. The composition feels so balanced: the geese mirror one another, with one stretching down to the river and the other fanning its wings out, filling the space above. They're both balanced on a very small post as if enacting a perfectly choreographed dance! I find myself looking at the goose that is bending down to drink. What is it thinking? Or feeling? Is the water cold? And I wonder, did other artists influence Koson, or perhaps even teach him? I imagine he was inspired by other bird and flower painters, both past and present. Artists, like geese, often move in flocks, inspiring one another.