Bidsprinkhaan 1900 - 1936

Ohara Koson made this print of a praying mantis, probably in the early twentieth century. You can see it there, perched delicately on a few fronds of a weeping willow. The moon is full, pale, and round behind it. I wonder about the making. The artist probably stared intently at the mantis, observing every detail. There's an attentiveness here that I really admire. Those tiny hairs on its legs, the way its head cocks to the side. It's almost comical. I mean, what was Koson thinking? Did he feel a kinship with this insect, another creature just trying to survive in the world? Maybe he saw a little bit of himself in its patient, watchful gaze. It reminds me of how, as painters, we spend so much time just looking, trying to capture a feeling, an essence, with just a few lines and some color. It’s like a conversation across time, a way of saying, "I see you, I feel you, I’m here too.”