Onoe Shoroku as Priest in Tsuchigumo 1951

Natori Shunsen created this woodblock print of Onoe Shoroku as Priest in Tsuchigumo. Woodblock printing is such a fascinating process, each color requires a separate block, a real commitment to layering, to building up the image bit by bit. Here, you can really see the physicality of the carving, particularly in the details of the priest's costume. The patterns on his hat, those tiny, intricate clouds, they're not just decorations, they're the result of someone carefully removing slivers of wood. Think about the plaid design of his under-robe, and how these tiny lines come together as a woven pattern. It’s a dance between precision and something looser. I keep thinking about Hokusai. You can feel his influence in the way Shunsen captures movement and emotion. Both artists create such expressive figures with relatively minimal means. Art, like life, is about conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas and ways of seeing.