Snow at Shiba Daimon 1936

Hasui Kawase made this atmospheric print of Shiba Daimon in a shower of snow sometime in the first half of the 20th century. You can sense the artist’s love for the process of image-making here. It's all about the surface, the layering of colour, and the way the eye is invited to wander. The falling snow creates this incredible veil, almost like a curtain of tiny dots that softens the whole scene. The bright red of the gate pops through the greys, grounding the composition and pulling you into the pictorial space. There's this sense of quiet and stillness, but also a very modern image of Japanese life. It's a mix of tradition and modernity, a little bit like the work of Hiroshi Yoshida, who also found ways to bring a very personal feeling to landscapes in his prints. Kawase’s work feels like an invitation to appreciate the transient, ever-changing beauty of the everyday.