Planting the New Year's Pine 

Keisai Eisen's "Planting the New Year's Pine" is a woodblock print, a medium intimately tied to Japanese culture and commerce. The texture and line work of the woodblock are immediately apparent, defining every element, from the delicate kimono patterns to the rough garments of the gardener. These were achieved through skilled carving of the woodblocks, a labor-intensive process requiring great precision. Colors are applied sequentially using a series of blocks, and the flat, graphic style is a direct result of this technique. Woodblock printing was not merely a way to reproduce images, it was an industry that employed many people, from artists to carvers to printers and distributors. The image celebrates a New Year ritual, planting pine for prosperity. The very making of such prints underpinned the economy of the Edo period and offered a visual means of cultural exchange for those who purchased them. Looking at this print, we are reminded that art and everyday life are often deeply intertwined, and that the story of any artwork is also the story of the people who made it, distributed it, and lived with it.