Solving a Puzzle n.d.

Okumura Masanobu created this woodblock print entitled “Solving a Puzzle” in Japan, sometime in the first half of the 18th century. Immediately, you'll notice the composition, with the figure carefully framed and the warm hues which invite you closer. The print depicts a woman in a kimono seated at a table. The composition is structured around a series of geometric forms: the circle of the fan, the rectangle of the table, and the curvilinear shapes of the woman's body and clothing. Note how Masanobu uses line and color to define shapes and patterns, which contributes to the overall rhythm. The semiotic interplay between these forms encourages us to consider not just the aesthetic qualities, but how the artwork destabilizes the relationship between representation and abstraction. Consider the patterns on the kimono, which don't merely depict but actively construct the image. The puzzle she is solving is not just on the fan, but within the very fabric of the artwork itself. Masanobu challenges us to question the stability of meaning.