Vliegende kwartel 1900 - 1930

Ohara Koson made this print of a flying quail, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. I can imagine him, brush in hand, carefully building up the image from delicate lines. Look closely, and you can see these subtle marks, especially on the wings. I love how the wings fill the frame. It gives such a sense of movement and energy, as if the quail is about to burst out of the picture. There’s something almost photographic about the composition, like a snapshot of nature. You can see the influence of Japanese woodblock prints in the delicate lines and flat colours. But there’s also a modern sensibility at play, a kind of realism that feels very contemporary. Koson was part of a generation of artists who were looking for new ways to represent the world around them. He must have spent a lot of time observing the natural world. It's a reminder that artists draw from each other, across continents and generations.