Cherry Blossom Rain 1905

Here's a print by Helen Hyde made with woodblocks. It's called "Cherry Blossom Rain." Imagine Hyde, a woman artist from San Francisco, making her way to Japan, learning the time-honored techniques of woodblock printing. I can imagine her, chisel in hand, carefully carving away at the wood, guided by the exquisite Ukiyo-e masters. She's really considering the relationship between line, form and feeling! The scene is soft; a woman holding a child is walking in the rain. The dark umbrella is like a geometric halo. Everything else, the trees, the rain, the figures, is a wash of soft color. All the tones are muted, pink, grey, a soft green. She's not just printing an image, she is conjuring a mood. It's the mood of spring, of renewal, of tenderness. And, for me, this work resonates with artists like Mary Cassatt, who also explored the intimate moments of women's lives. These artists are in constant dialogue, each pushing the boundaries of their medium, creating new ways of seeing and feeling.