Birds of the Seasons - Autumn 1980

Toshi Yoshida made this serene woodblock print, “Birds of the Seasons - Autumn”, with ink on paper. It's an image that reminds me that art-making is really about process: the way one thing leads to another, like a chain of thoughts. Here, it's all about the dialogue between the solid black branches, sharp leaves, and the soft plumage of that little bird. The texture is smooth but the color is where the action is, isn’t it? A limited palette of grey, brown, and red. Look at the way the red leaves pop against the muted grey background. It gives the whole scene a certain kind of crispness. That bird, perched so calmly, head tucked in, feels like a moment of stillness, a breath in the midst of a busy day. Yoshida has a few images of birds throughout the seasons, and this focus on nature connects him to earlier artists like Hokusai. It’s a reminder that art is always in conversation with what came before, and that ambiguity is a strength, not a weakness.