The Red Curtain 1907

This colour woodblock print was made in 1907 by Helen Hyde. What strikes me about this print is the way that Hyde brings together a restricted palette with a clear understanding of depth. The red curtain acts like a stage curtain, but is also just a flat plane. The print is made with flat planes of colour, and the layering of each block creates depth and shadow without the need for complicated mark making. But it’s the child that really pulls us in. The slight smile, the suggestion of detail in the pattern of its kimono, and the odd little top-knot really make the piece. The child’s skin is rendered in a light, almost peach tone, that really pops out against the faded red of the titular curtain. That black calligraphy against the red is a visual conversation I see echoed in the work of Cy Twombly. The way he worked with layered meaning in his work. Like Twombly, Hyde invites us to think about how we can hold multiple, even contradictory ideas and experiences in our mind at once.