Ecstasy (B) 1953

Kiyoshi Saito made this compelling print, Ecstasy (B), sometime in the 20th century; it’s all about paring things down to simple shapes and colors. It’s like Saito is saying, "Hey, let's see how little we can do and still make it work." I love how Saito uses just a few blocks of color – black, white, brown – to create this elegant figure. The texture in the grey background is particularly interesting, it gives the whole thing a sort of mysterious, atmospheric quality. The brown swoop that covers the figure's face like a mask is intriguing. Is it hiding something, or revealing something? It reminds me a little of Matisse's cut-outs, that same joy in simplicity and form. But Saito has his own thing going on, a kind of quiet intensity. Art doesn’t have to shout to be heard, right? Sometimes the most powerful stuff whispers.