September 1908 Possibly 1908 - 1909

Editor: Here we have "September 1908" by Ishikawa Toraji, created sometime between 1908 and 1909. It’s a vibrant linocut print, and I must say, the overall design is striking! The flat planes of color and strong outlines are what I see first. What strikes you most about its formal qualities? Curator: What commands my attention is the tension achieved by the interplay between the organic forms – the sunflowers and the peacock – and the rigidity of the rectangular blocks of color that frame the central image. Note how the artist limits their palette. What do you observe about the effects this creates? Editor: I see that the limited color palette--red, green, yellow, and blue, plus the white of the peacock--enhances the image’s graphic quality and flattens the composition. It really pushes it towards being a decorative work! How does the composition support that impression? Curator: Consider the placement of the peacock and sunflowers: they are meticulously arranged, each element contributing to a balanced but undeniably stylized design. The linework itself – notice its character, and its thickness, particularly in rendering the peacock's feathers and the sunflower petals – contributes significantly. Where does your eye linger, and how does the artist guide you there? Editor: My eye keeps returning to the peacock’s tail. The blue linework defining each ‘eye’ in the feathers really pops against the white. The artist's meticulous detail emphasizes its importance in the composition. Looking at the overall print again, it feels like more than just a decorative image, because those kinds of artistic decisions add nuance to what might otherwise seem a straightforward piece. Curator: Precisely. What began as an immediate decorative appeal evolves into a deeper consideration of how line, form, and colour interact to create an object that rewards closer examination. Editor: I see what you mean now. I had only considered it as decoration, but this print has been so much more insightful when taking into account its individual components and how they build on each other!