Seagulls over the Waves 1915

Ohara Koson made this print, Seagulls over the Waves, using woodblock printing; the water is a wash of blended blues, and the birds are grey and white. The act of carving and printing: can you imagine Koson planning how he will make the marks to build the image? I feel like I’m there with him, holding my breath, trying to get it just right. What would it be like to make a picture, not with a brush, but with a chisel? The waves are captured in the white space around the dark blue marks. And the wings of the birds—their flight is captured with dark grey outlines. What I love about painting, and printmaking, is how you can show something as simple as seagulls and waves, and still, it feels like it’s asking a question. How do we see? What does it mean to be alive?