Earth 1960

Hodaka Yoshida made this print, Earth, using aquatint, a process of etching that gives areas of tone rather than line. It’s like the earth itself: the artist digs in, and then something else happens, something alchemical. There's such great texture here, from the smooth blackness at the top to the granulated, lunar surface below. I love how the white specks dance across the black like distant stars, a universe unfolding from the depths of the plate. It's an image that breathes, expanding and contracting with each tiny variation in tone and mark. Look at the circles, and the jagged shapes scattered across the foreground. They remind me of Joan Miró, who also reveled in the magic of simple forms. Ultimately, this print invites us to contemplate the beauty and mystery of the world around us. I think that's what art should do – spark wonder and invite us to look a little closer.