Bootjes in de haven van Shiogama 1917

Hirafuku Hyakusui made this print of boats in Shiogama harbor, but when I’m not sure, which feels right for this kind of piece, somehow. Look at that dark blue water, laid down in flat planes like big shapes, setting off the delicate network of lines describing the boats and their rigging. It’s all about process, and how lines and color can come together to evoke a specific place and feeling. The texture is subtle, almost like you could run your hand over it and feel the grain of the woodblock, even though you can’t. The artist is showing you how to see the world. The mountains in the distance are barely there, but they give a sense of depth and atmosphere. There’s a real sense of immediacy to this print, a feeling that Hirafuku Hyakusui was right there, capturing the scene as it unfolded. It makes me think of Matisse, who used a similar approach to line and color in his paintings and prints. Art is just one long, ongoing conversation. It’s about exploration and not about perfection.