Before the Mirror 1916

Ito Shinsui made this print, Before the Mirror, and I wonder what Shinsui felt about beauty, self-reflection, and the intimate rituals of women. There’s something so direct about the way Shinsui captures this woman. She’s wearing a scarlet robe. It's sumptuous but not too detailed. The way the colors meet and blend! You know he's taking his time, carefully placing the colors, balancing control with a little bit of chance. That little red mouth against the pale skin, a slash of pure, unapologetic color. It's like a question mark, or an exclamation. The black hair is monumental, and it's offset by a red that bleeds, stains, and saturates. I wonder if Shinsui saw himself in her, the artist contemplating his own image in the mirror of his art? Whatever it is, you can tell that Shinsui cared about getting it right. And that care, that attention, makes all the difference. He stands alongside other great painters, from Japan and elsewhere. He looked at the world and made something new.