Goldfish c. 1928 - 1930

Komori Soseki made this woodblock print of goldfish sometime between 1920 and 1930. Look at the surface, a serene light blue, and how the fish swim within it. The colours here are pretty simple, but the process of woodblock printing is anything but. Think about the physical labor of carving each color layer into a separate block, and then printing them in perfect registration. There’s an incredible amount of skill and care involved. The fish themselves are these plump, orange bodies with flowing, almost hand-like tails. The plants in the background are like scribbled thoughts. That turquoise ground is just gorgeous, isn't it? The goldfish are like figures in a dream. You could see this work alongside someone like Henri Matisse; there's a similar feeling of pleasure in the simple things, like color and form, to make a new way of seeing, thinking, and feeling.