Folding Fans 1909 - 1910

Kamisaka Sekka made this print of folding fans, and the layering of the images feels so contemporary. See how he’s using different patterns and colours, building them up, one on top of the other? It’s a real lesson in artmaking as a process, each mark informing the next. There’s such a wonderful texture to this piece. The fan with the white swirling water contrasts the dark blue fan, which has these little gold birds on it. It feels really dynamic and alive. Then you have the solid green fan underneath, which provides a solid contrast. I’m really drawn to the use of color here, the way it shapes our experience of the artwork. It’s this combination of muted tones and bold shapes that makes this work feel really unique. You could easily see a contemporary painter like Jonas Wood taking some inspiration here, a shared commitment to pattern, surface and the everyday. Isn't it amazing how art just keeps talking to itself across time? It's never really about fixed meanings, more about opening things up.