Lemon 1972

This is Funasaka Yoshisuke’s 'Lemon', a print made with black and yellow ink on paper. Look at how Yoshisuke reduces the lemon to a simple outline. It's floating, almost lost, among these solid blocks and stripes, like a memory of something real. The shapes are bold, cut out, like a child’s game. It feels immediate and playful, doesn't it? There's something about the relationship between that sunshine yellow and stark black that really makes my eyes dance. See how those three little dashes at the bottom right, like a secret code, balance against the weight of the large black areas. I love how the flatness of the print almost tricks you into thinking it could be a painting. It reminds me a bit of Patrick Caulfield’s use of flat colour and everyday objects. Ultimately, 'Lemon' is about seeing the world in its simplest form and finding joy in that reduction.