Southern Islander c. 1920s

This is Kamisaka Sekka’s "Southern Islander," a woodblock print – though when exactly it was made, no one seems to know. The color palette here is simple, but it carries a lot of feeling. I see shades of red, brown, and grey, all muted and earthy. The texture looks smooth, almost like watercolor, and the lines have that lovely hand-drawn quality that you get with traditional printing. Look at the woman’s red robe, how it drapes and folds. Then, check out the tree. The roots are like veins, connecting the figure to the earth. It’s as though everything is part of the same breath, the same gesture. Sekka’s use of color and line reminds me a little of Edvard Munch, though maybe less angsty and more meditative. You get the sense that art is just an ongoing conversation across cultures, where each artist adds their own little twist. And what does it all mean? Well, isn’t that the fun part?