Angel 1957

Kiyoshi Saito made this print called 'Angel', we don't have the date, but it’s made with woodblock printing. The lines are thick and purposeful, almost like puzzle pieces fitting together to form this serene figure. You can see the artist's hand in the way the ink is laid down, not perfect, but full of life. The dark blues and reds create a gentle harmony and the rough texture adds a tactile quality. Look at the way the robes fall, each line carefully carved to suggest movement and form. It's really quite beautiful. It’s got a graphic quality but also this very human, handmade feel to it. Saito's work reminds me a bit of the German Expressionist woodcuts, but with a Japanese sensibility, a kind of quietness. It's like he's inviting us into a world of simplicity and contemplation. Art, after all, is a conversation across cultures and time, an exchange of ideas and feelings that never really ends.