Winter Moon over Toyama Plain 1931

This is Hasui Kawase’s woodblock print, called *Winter Moon over Toyama Plain*. Look how the deep blues and blacks evoke that particular feeling of a cold winter night. The process here is fascinating; each color is printed from a separate block, carefully layered to create depth and atmosphere. And what atmosphere! The stark silhouettes of the trees against the luminous moon. It's as if the landscape itself is holding its breath. Notice the texture in the foreground, the way the artist suggests the subtle variations in the snow-covered ground. It's not just a flat surface, but a field of nuanced marks, each carrying a bit of light and shadow. Then there's the moon itself, a soft, glowing orb peeking through the branches. It’s a perfect, almost photographic image, that reminds me of the work of Gerhard Richter who also used photography and painting to explore the relationship between reality and representation. Ultimately, it's the ambiguity that makes this piece so captivating; the invitation to wander through this moonlit landscape, and to find our own meaning in its quiet beauty.