A Woman Before the Mirror 1930

Torii Kotondo made 'A Woman Before the Mirror' with woodblock printmaking. It makes me think about the space between the viewer and the viewed. What's she seeing in the mirror? Is she getting ready to go out, or is this a quiet moment, just for her? I can imagine Kotondo thinking about these questions, too. The soft pink of her kimono with its cherry blossom pattern, the cool gray background—it all feels so intimate. The flat planes of colour makes me think of other artists working with colour and form like Bonnard, or Vuillard. I like the way her dark hair contrasts with her pale skin, and how the curve of her arms mirrors the curve of her body. It’s like he's thinking about line and form, not just portraying a person. It makes you realize that every artist is in conversation with every other artist, across time. Each one teaching the next what it means to see, feel, and be human.