Nude on a Red Chair 1939

Unichi Hiratsuka's woodblock print, Nude on a Red Chair, feels like a secret glimpse into a quiet moment. Imagine the artist carefully carving each line, each plane of color, and gradually building up the image—a nude woman seated thoughtfully. What might the artist have been thinking as he rendered her? There’s this amazing play of colors, where the red of the chair pops against the yellow background. It makes me think about how artists are always playing with space and form. The black lines create such a crisp outline, really framing the space. The hands are so sensitively rendered and seem to speak volumes about what the model is thinking. There’s something so human about the whole thing. It's so intimate, yet the blocky shapes keep it cool and mysterious. The model's pose reminds me of Matisse. Artists are always in conversation with each other, taking ideas and twisting them. It’s beautiful.