Okoso Hood 1950

Ito Shinsui probably used woodblocks to make this print of a woman in a hooded coat, and I can just imagine the artist carving into the wood, layering color after color. The cool lavenders and blues, the blacks and greys, evoke the stillness of a snowy day. But look at how the red of her hand pops out from under the okoso hood, drawing your eye like a little exclamation point. There’s a poignancy in her bowed head and downcast gaze, a quiet melancholy that's hard to put your finger on. I'm reminded of Utamaro, who also captured the moods of women in their daily lives, but Shinsui brings something very modern to it. I imagine he must have been inspired by the paintings of Whistler, who also loved subdued tones and subtle compositions. Artists are always borrowing, lending, and riffing off each other like that. And in the end, that is how art moves forward.