Ring sparrows in snow 1900 - 1930

Ohara Koson made this lovely woodblock print of sparrows in snow sometime between 1900 and 1936. I like to think of how it came into being, the artist patiently carving the block, shifting and refining with each pass. Look at how the grey background fades from dark to light, with just the faintest touches of white for the falling snow! The birds themselves have so much energy, you can almost feel them flapping, trying to keep warm. What was Koson thinking as he worked? Did he watch the birds outside his window, or was he remembering a scene from his childhood? Maybe he just enjoyed capturing these little moments, knowing that artists are always building on what came before. Painters are in an ongoing conversation, and this print is part of that dialogue. There is a sense of freedom in it, inviting us to see the world through the eyes of a bird, through the eyes of an artist, full of possibilities.