Swallows and Wisteria c. 1930s

Ohara Koson made Swallows and Wisteria sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century, probably using woodblocks. It makes me think of all the other images of birds and flowers artists have made over time. I feel Koson's gaze as he looked at the birds. One of them looks like it’s mid-song! The shapes are so simplified, yet there's so much attention to detail. I feel a personal connection here, like a conversation between myself and Koson. It also makes me think about the Japanese tradition of printmaking and painting. In my own work, I try to make something that holds both representation and abstraction, kind of like the patterns here. Each form emerges from the last, and the making continues as seeing, and vice versa.