Ecstasy (B) 1953

Kiyoshi Saito made this woodblock print, “Ecstasy (B)”, and the title is apt: a state of overwhelming emotion, a sense of being transported. I can really imagine Saito going for it, methodically layering those colors and shapes to find the feeling he was after. Woodblock printing is so cool – it’s a process of building up the image, carving away what you don’t need, and then inking and pressing. There’s something about the flatness of the face contrasted with the dark mass of the hair that gives me the creeps! And the eye peeking out from behind that shape really gets to me. The more you look, the more you feel the pull. The flat planes of colour, a simplified form... It's a dance between control and accident. And that one expressive line can carry so much. Like a whisper! So, what do you feel?