Ransuil op kale boomtak 1900 - 1930

Ohara Koson made this woodblock print of an owl on a branch, with a crescent moon, at an unknown date. I can just imagine Koson, with his chisels and gouges, patiently carving out the forms of the owl, the branch, the moon. The process itself must have been meditative, a slow revealing of images that already existed in his mind’s eye. And what images they are! I think he was seeking a kind of quiet perfection in nature. I'm drawn to the owl's luminous eyes, echoing the moon's glow. There's an elegant simplicity here, a kind of distillation of form and essence. This work resonates with other artists, all working together over time. A painter or printmaker, is in dialogue, absorbing and transforming ideas across generations. Koson invites us to look closely and contemplate the beauty in the everyday.