Kuri Ferry Possibly 1932

This is Hasui Kawase’s woodblock print, Kuri Ferry, and though undated, it resides at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The cool blues of the water and sky are beautifully offset by the warmer tones of the buildings and boat. I can imagine Kawase, thinking through the complex process of layering colors in a woodblock print, almost like a dance. Look at how the reflection of the wooden buildings wavers on the surface of the water, created by the vertical lines cut into the block. It's a serene image, but also full of visual activity. The tree is a mass of individual leaves, each a slightly different shade of green. You feel the weight of the branches. Woodblock prints are part of a long conversation in art history, from Japanese Ukiyo-e prints to German Expressionism. Each artist learns from and builds upon the techniques and ideas of those who came before, and each mark carries echoes of this history. It's kind of mind-blowing when you think about it.