Hikawa Park in Omiya 1930

Hasui Kawase made this print called ‘Hikawa Park in Omiya’, and just imagining him carving these blocks and layering the colours makes me shiver with respect. Look at the blue sky. What time of day do you think it is? Dawn or dusk? I feel like the tops of those tall trees are catching the very last bit of sunlight, a peachy glow against the blue. The work has got such an amazing sense of atmosphere – you can almost smell the pine needles. I wonder what it was like being there, in that park, when Hasui Kawase was sketching this scene. What was he thinking about? Did he notice the way the light filtered through the branches, creating these patterns of light and shadow on the ground? You can see those patterns in the way he has carefully laid down each block of colour to describe the forest. We are all in conversation with one another across time, and I bet other artists will keep looking and learning from this print. I know I will.