Two white-fronted geese in snowy landscape, 1900 - 1930

Ohara Koson made this beautiful print of two white-fronted geese in a snowy landscape. I wonder how Koson felt, out there in the cold, watching these birds—or, more likely, working from sketches in his warm studio! These aren't just birds; they are lines and shapes in a composition, meticulously placed and balanced, each wing feather a precise mark. The paper itself—its texture, its ability to absorb ink—becomes a collaborator. I imagine the artist in a dance with the woodblock, the tools, the ink, and the grain of the wood, coaxing this image into being. Think of the Japanese tradition of depicting nature. Artists like Hiroshige were Koson's predecessors, capturing fleeting moments in the natural world. But Koson brings something new, a delicate balance between observation and something more personal. In the end, it’s the quiet attentiveness that stays with me. The artist invites us to look closer, to notice the small details, and to find beauty in the everyday world.