Copper pheasant 1900 - 1930

Ohara Koson made this woodblock print of a Copper Pheasant sometime between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Isn't it amazing how he captures the subtle shifts of light and shadow, creating an atmosphere that feels both calm and alive? The details in this print, especially the pheasant's feathers, are incredible. Look at the way Koson uses line and color to give each feather its own texture and form, how it sits in relation to the branch on which the bird is perched. You can almost feel the bird’s weight on the branch. Then there’s that tail, a cascade of pale pink, tapering to the finest point, that leads your eye down and out of the frame. Thinking about other artists that come to mind, maybe someone like Walton Ford, who makes these elaborate, narrative-rich watercolors of animals. But where Ford’s work is often about power and history, Koson’s feels more intimate, a quiet observation of the natural world. Art is just a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas and ways of seeing.