Vogel vliegend bij grassen 1892 - 1897

Matsumura Keibun created this print of a bird flying by grasses using ink and color on paper. Notice how Keibun employs asymmetry to create a dynamic composition. The grasses, rendered in varying tones of ink, lean towards the left, while the bird, depicted with delicate brushstrokes, flies towards the right. The bird is suspended between foreground and background, between lightness and dark, in a semiotic system of signs of nature. Consider the way the artist uses negative space to enhance the subject. The pale background accentuates the textures and details of the bird’s feathers. The scene invites us to contemplate the relationship between form and space, stillness and movement. Ultimately, the print transcends mere representation, instead functioning as a philosophical inquiry into the nature of perception and the poetics of space.