Five chicks 1900 - 1936

Ohara Koson made "Five Chicks" at some point during his lifetime using Japanese woodblock print techniques, which is pretty cool if you think about it. I like how this image is so muted – the whole scene is rendered in soft grays, with the fluffy white chicks standing out. You can almost feel the softness of their feathers. Koson really captures the energy of these little birds, their fragile legs and darting heads. There’s a sense of gentle observation here, like the artist is just watching them go about their chick business. I can imagine Koson sitting outside, maybe in a garden, sketching these chicks, trying to capture their movements before committing it to the woodblock. This work reminds me a little bit of Morandi and his bottles – he's also a master of quiet observation. These artists teach us that beauty can be found in the everyday, in the small, quiet moments if we just take the time to look.