Tōshōgū in Ueno c. 1930s

This is "Tōshōgū in Ueno," a woodblock print made by Hasui Kawase, most likely in the first half of the 20th century. Look at the rhythmic fall of snow, a blizzard of tiny white marks against the deep blue ground, and the way it blankets everything. I wonder, did Kawase feel a sense of melancholy while he was making this print? Did he want to capture the silence that falls with the snow? There's such a stillness despite the heavy snowfall. There's also a beautiful contrast between the natural world and the man-made temple, which stands so serene, sturdy, and red against the whiteness. I admire the way Kawase used blocks of color and line to suggest form and depth, like the curve of the umbrella, and the layering of the pagoda. Printmaking is such a physical process, in its own way, just like painting. And it's all a conversation between the artist and the world, an attempt to translate experience into form.