Rivierlandschap waarin huis met waterrad 1900 - 1910

Ogata Gekko made this woodblock print of a riverside house, sometime before 1920. The limited palette creates an image of quiet beauty. It's not about making a big statement, but rather, revealing a gentle truth. The textures are so interesting. The thatched roof of the house is a mass of tiny, dark strokes. Look at how these marks contrast with the smooth, flat planes of the sky and river. The printmaking process, with its layering of ink, gives the image a unique, tactile quality. Each element feels carefully considered, yet there's a sense of spontaneity, as if Gekko allowed the materials to guide him. The more I look at it, the more I think of the work of Arthur Dove, another artist with a sensitivity to nature. Both artists share an interest in capturing the essence of a scene, rather than just its surface appearance. Art isn’t about answers, but about the questions it provokes.