After the Bath 1933

Kobayakawa Kiyoshi made this print, After the Bath, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The palette is restrained, mostly grayscale, with the exception of the golden towel and a small red stamp in the upper right. It’s that limited approach to color that gets me. The image feels considered, like each mark has been carefully placed. I like the texture in this piece, especially in the woman's hair and robe. It feels like the lines want to escape the boundaries of the form. The gradation in color also gives volume to the figure and a sense of depth to the piece. There’s this one place where the kimono wraps around her back, and the light catches the fabric in a way that's so gentle. It’s a reminder that the process of artmaking is about discovery and embracing the unexpected. This print feels like it could be in conversation with the work of Edgar Degas, who made bathers a recurring theme. Like Degas, Kiyoshi embraces ambiguity, inviting viewers to bring their own experiences and perspectives to the work.