Het Yamato deel 1911 - 1919

This is Nakazawa Hiromitsu's woodblock print, 'Het Yamato deel,' and the date is unknown. Looking at this print, I can see a world rendered through gentle color washes and careful lines. It’s like seeing a memory, soft and slightly faded, of a serene landscape. The mountains in the distance, rendered in pale blues, meet a hazy green sea, all divided by bands of cloud. I wonder what Hiromitsu was thinking about when he made this? Was he remembering a place from his childhood? I am reminded of a Japanese scroll painting, where space and time seem to collapse, as if we’re meant to wander through the landscape. The deers at the bottom of the image have a certain elegance about them, while being at the same time humorous, their rumps are in clear view for us to see. I think of how so many artists are in conversation across time, looking, borrowing, and building upon what came before.