Monkey on tree branch 1900 - 1930

Ohara Koson made this Monkey on a tree branch with ink and colour on paper, and for me it is as much about the off-white of the paper as the grey washes of the monkey and branch. The colours are so muted, like a memory, and the forms have been built up slowly, with many thin layers of ink. Look at the rendering of the monkey's fur – it's so light, like it might just float away. It’s like Koson is trying to capture not just what the monkey looks like, but how it feels to see it perched there, with the branch and the weeping willow, somehow evoking the chill of a grey day. The monkey's paws are so expressive, clinging to the branch and the whole image seems to be a lesson in how less can be so much more. It reminds me a bit of some of Agnes Martin's work, that focus on quiet and repetition to create a feeling of meditative calm. There are no fireworks, but it is very powerful for that.