Small Garden 1967

Hiroyuki Tajima's 'Small Garden' is a print that teases out a feeling more than a scene. The colours are pretty simple - a kind of glowing, mossy green, interrupted by these strong, dark verticals, like bamboo maybe? What really grabs me is the texture; the whole surface feels alive. You can almost feel the grain of the woodblock and the way the ink has been pressed into the paper. It's that kind of directness that makes printmaking so satisfying, right? There's something so honest about seeing the marks of the process laid bare. Look at the way those red shapes sort of hover in the green, each has different textures - creating depth and intrigue. This piece makes me think a little of Joan Miró; that same playfulness with shapes and colour, and a similar interest in creating a world that feels both familiar and totally strange. Art is like a conversation, each artist building on what came before, isn't it?