Full Moon and Cherry Blossom at Matsuyama Castle 1953

Hasui Kawase made this woodblock print, 'Full Moon and Cherry Blossom at Matsuyama Castle', without a specific date, but you can see in it an incredible attention to the layering of tones and textures in the sky. It makes me think about the work and practice of printmaking. There is something so atmospheric about this scene, the glow of the moon diffusing across the paper and catching the edges of the cherry blossom. It’s the kind of scene that exists in the borderlands between waking and dreaming. If you look closely at the wall of the castle, it seems to disappear into a wash of dark, textural tones. It is these inky washes of tone that pull us into the picture. Kawase’s work is always about the meeting of nature and culture. It reminds me of Hiroshige or Hokusai but more modern, and melancholic. I find myself wondering what the two figures under the arch are doing, and whether they can feel the magic in the air. It is a world open to our interpretation, and that is what makes art so special!