Swirling Snow 1909 - 1910

Kamisaka Sekka made this woodblock print, called Swirling Snow, with simple shapes and a muted palette. I imagine he carved each shape carefully from a block of wood, layering the colors to build the scene. It makes me think about slowing down, noticing each flake of snow as it falls. The black figure is like a heavy, grounded presence, right? Covered in little dots. Is it a person? A tree? Whatever it is, it’s bending into the snow. That white hat is really something, a clean, simple shape in a storm of tiny marks. It’s like Sekka is saying, even in the middle of chaos, there can be clarity. What I like about Swirling Snow is how Sekka captures a feeling, an atmosphere, with so little. It’s a reminder that painting, or any art form really, is about finding new ways to see and feel the world around us, and about embracing the beauty in simplicity and the unknown.