Tekeningen van de oude Ogawa Usen - deel drie 1940

This page is one of a series of drawings by Ogawa Usen, a Japanese artist who lived from 1868 to 1938. I love these kinds of works on paper! They are so intimate. You can sense the artist’s hand, like a ghostly presence. Ogawa Usen’s gestures are delicate yet precise. The pale paper, with its tiny flecks, gives a sense of warmth and tactility. The blue rectangle anchors the composition, but also draws you in to the lettering. I can imagine Usen carefully grinding ink, preparing his brush, and then, in a moment of quiet contemplation, making these marks. It’s like a dance between the hand, the eye, and the mind. He is in conversation with the great calligraphers and painters who came before him. It's all about the touch, the pressure, the flow. Each brushstroke carries intention, and the empty space around it is just as important. It’s this conversation across time that keeps art alive.