Japanse pestvogel op esdoorn. 1900 - 1936

Ohara Koson made this woodblock print of a Japanese Waxwing on a maple tree. Look at the gentle layering of colour – a wash of pale grey-blue sky, the fawn and blue-grey feathers of the bird, the deep russet of the maple leaves. The artist's touch is so delicate that it’s easy to imagine him working very closely, intimately with the woodblock, coaxing out these soft, translucent tones. I wonder if Koson-san felt a sense of kinship with this little bird, perched on its branch. The solitary artist, carefully observing the world, distilling its essence into a few perfect lines and colors, like a haiku. It makes me think about Hokusai and Hiroshige and all the others. That upward gaze of the bird is so good. I feel that. It makes me think about looking up to the work of our elders, and the lineage of mark-making that artists are always contributing to. Isn’t it beautiful how these works speak to each other across time, creating one big conversation?