Cockatoo and pomegranate 1925 - 1936

Ohara Koson made this arresting print of a cockatoo and a pomegranate tree using woodblock printing techniques. Imagine Koson-san bent over a block of wood, carefully carving out the delicate feathers of the cockatoo. The black background really makes the white of the bird pop. It must have taken a lot of patience to get the details just right. Look at the texture he’s created - so subtle, yet so effective. I wonder if he was thinking about the contrast between the bird and the pomegranate when he was making it? The hard, waxy leaves against the fluffy feathers of the bird, for instance. You can feel the artist's breath in every mark, their consideration of weight and balance. Painting—or, in this case, woodblock printing—becomes a way of understanding the world.