Crows at full moon 1925 - 1936

Ohara Koson made this print of two crows at full moon, and I'm imagining him carving away at the block, trying to capture the movement of these birds against the cool night sky. There's something so immediate about printmaking, you know? It's all about making choices, committing to a line, a shape, and then trusting the process. I wonder if he started with the moon, that big, pale circle dominating the scene, and then added the crows, letting their dark forms play against the light. The way the crows are positioned, one above the other, gives the image a sense of depth and dynamism. I can almost hear the whoosh of their wings and feel the cool night air. You can see he's really thinking about how to capture movement and atmosphere, distilling it all down to these essential shapes and colors. It reminds me of other artists like Hokusai, who were also fascinated by the natural world. It’s all part of one big conversation!