Hawk with captive tree sparrow 1900 - 1930

Ohara Koson made this print of a hawk with a captive tree sparrow sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. I can imagine him, alone in his studio, carefully laying down each line and color, coaxing the image into being, one layer at a time. Look at the way Koson captured the hawk's piercing gaze and the delicate feathers—you can almost feel the cold of the winter day. The icicles hanging off the branch are so sharp and brittle. What was he thinking, staring at birds outside the window, when he made this? Did he feel sympathy for the sparrow or admiration for the hawk's predatory prowess? I see echoes of Hiroshige and Hokusai in Koson's work, but with a unique sensitivity to the natural world. Artists are always in conversation with each other, borrowing, responding, and pushing the boundaries of what painting can be. This print embraces the ambiguity of life, inviting us to contemplate the beauty and brutality of nature.