Nakamura Ganjiro as Oman 1954

Natori Shunsen made this print of Nakamura Ganjiro as Oman, and I can imagine him thinking a lot about line, shape, and color, and how they could come together to capture a performance. I can picture Shunsen making choices about the surface texture – how smooth or rough he wanted the print to be. Look at the stark white of the face, contrasted by the purple of the kimono and the cool grey in the background: each are blocks of color, so deliberately placed to create mood and depth. The duck on the fan, caught mid-flight, gives a sense of freedom, compared to the actor’s contained face. In a way, making a painting or print is like having a conversation with other artists across time. You respond to their ideas, you borrow their techniques, and you add your own unique perspective. And sometimes, you just want to make something beautiful, something that captures a fleeting moment or a powerful emotion.