Twee gezichten op een theehuis-tuin in Negishi in Yokohama, Japan before 1893

Kazumasa Ogawa created this photogravure print of a teahouse garden in Yokohama, Japan. The composition of the two images, one above the other, invites a comparative reading. Notice how the upper scene employs a wide-angle perspective, integrating architecture and nature. The pond acts as a mirror, doubling the visual information and creating a symmetrical yet soft composition. Ogawa’s technique captures the subtle gradations of light and shadow, giving depth to the scene. Conversely, the lower scene focuses on the architectural detail of the teahouse itself. The eye is drawn to the textures of the building materials – the tiled roof, wooden beams, and the carefully placed stones in the garden. Ogawa’s choice of photogravure lends a tactile quality to the print, almost like a delicate etching, inviting a slower more meditative way of seeing and understanding space.