Het Blauwe rivier deel 1916

Fukuda Bisen made this woodblock print titled 'Het Blauwe rivier deel,' sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. The palette is soft and watery, mostly blues and greens, with some creamy whites floating in between. It's interesting how he's built up the image through these layered, transparent blocks of color. Look at the mountains in the background, how the blues fade into the distance. It reminds me of how in painting, it’s so much about the doing, the layering, the accidents, all those small decisions that add up. There's a real sense of depth and atmosphere that comes from the physicality of the medium. The way he’s carved the blocks to create these textures, it’s almost like he’s sculpting the landscape. In the bottom corner, notice that jaggedy headland with the town nestled at its base, it looks like the buildings are part of the rock itself. He invites us to see the landscape as not just something to look at, but something to wander around in, and get lost in. Reminds me a little of Hiroshige, but with a bit more…dreaminess. Art is always a conversation, right? A back and forth across time.