Mt. Ibuki in Snow 1920

Goyo Hashiguchi created this landscape, Mt. Ibuki in Snow, using woodblock printmaking, and what strikes me first is the expanse of blank space, how the mountain emerges as negative space between the falling snow. I imagine him carving into the wood, thinking about the sharp, decisive movements needed to capture this quiet, snowy scene. The textures he's achieved are just amazing - the soft, mottled sky, the solid blue river, the trees laden with snow. I mean, how do you get those textures from carving into wood?! I can almost feel the cold, crisp air and the stillness of the landscape. There’s something about how Goyo renders the snow-covered trees that reminds me of traditional Chinese landscape painting. It's like he's both honoring tradition and forging something new. What a beautiful, melancholic scene.