Stone Bird 

Rokushu Mizufune created "Stone Bird," a print that encapsulates the shifting identities of post-war Japan. Born in 1912, Mizufune lived through Japan's rapid modernization, its defeat in World War II, and its subsequent reconstruction. The chaotic yet harmonious composition, with abstract shapes suggesting a bird, echoes this period of flux. The imagery may reflect the tension between traditional Japanese art and Western abstraction, a struggle many Japanese artists faced as they sought to redefine their cultural identity in a globalized world. Mizufune once commented, "I want to express the essence of things, not just their surface appearance." Consider the title "Stone Bird." Does it evoke permanence or fragility? Perhaps it reflects the artist’s attempt to find stability amidst change, or the enduring spirit of nature amidst urban development. This work invites us to contemplate how artists negotiate personal and national identity in times of transformation.