Geese at full moon 1925 - 1936

Ohara Koson made this print of geese at full moon at some point before 1945, using what looks like woodblock printmaking. What I love about printmaking is how it's both additive and subtractive. The artist is building up an image through layers, but those layers are based on what's been carved away. I'm really drawn to the subtle gradations of color here. The way the blue of the sky fades from darker at the top to almost white near the horizon, the different greys of the goose. It makes me think about how much nuance you can find even within a limited palette. Look at the closest goose’s wing, how the black ink is patterned with white, to give the sense of texture. You get a sense of movement, the feeling of air flowing over feathers. Koson reminds me of someone like James Audubon in the west, but with a different sensibility. There's a shared interest in the natural world, but Koson brings a kind of quiet contemplation to it. It's not just about observing, but about feeling. Ultimately, these geese invite us to think about the beauty of nature, and our place within it.