Moonlight through the Clouds off the Haneda Coast c. 1929

Kobayashi Kiyochika made this woodblock print of a moonlit night off the Haneda coast. Imagine how this image came to be, carved in blocks, each colour carefully applied to capture a scene so fleeting. I wonder what Kiyochika was thinking as he captured this moment, the cool blues and greys of the night, the boats bobbing gently on the water. The light is amazing. Look at how the moon peers through the clouds. It’s not solid or still but something more textural, like you could reach out and touch it. And what about that single star at the mast of the boat, acting like a counterpoint to the moon? You know, art is like a long conversation, and artists, well, we’re all just chatting to each other across time. I bet Kiyochika was inspired by other artists. He wanted to offer his take on the world too. Every artist tries to capture something unique about what they see. It might also invite us to see the world anew, with fresh eyes, and embrace the mystery of it all.