Spring 1961

Matsumi Kanemitsu created this print, aptly titled Spring, with ink on paper. Just look at those bold, gestural marks – a real explosion of black ink against the stark white paper. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving, pushing and pulling the ink across the surface, building up these dense, abstract shapes. It’s a pretty high contrast and that makes it bold. I wonder what Kanemitsu was thinking, what he was feeling when he made this. It's reminiscent of Kline, someone else who had a go at high contrast and a pared-down palette. I imagine him wanting to capture the energy and vitality of spring – a season of renewal and growth. The splatters and drips add a sense of spontaneity and chance, as if the painting itself is coming alive, like a living thing, with ink drops like a kind of cellular life. It reminds us that art is always an experiment, a conversation with the medium, and with the other artists who came before. It’s a testament to the power of painting to evoke feelings, to spark ideas, and to connect us to the world around us.