Tekeningen van de oude Ogawa Usen 1939 - 1941

Editor: Here we have 'Tekeningen van de oude Ogawa Usen,' a series of drawings and prints from 1939-1941 by Ogawa Usen. They’re simple little booklets, almost like someone’s personal notebooks, covered in what looks like handmade paper with brightly coloured labels. The colour scheme is gentle and I get the sense that they are intimate objects; What is your immediate reaction to this artwork? Curator: They whisper, don’t they? Like secrets shared between old friends over cups of tea. To me, they feel incredibly personal – like gazing at fragments of the artist’s own reflections. Editor: Fragments, that's the perfect word! They give me that impression too. Could you explain more about the feeling of intimacy they invoke? Curator: Look closely. The Ukiyo-e style drawing style blends into almost naive childlike strokes with a great appreciation of simple forms. The medium invites the quick, reflective movement; you can see him experimenting with spontaneous watercolor techniques – embracing accidents, allowing the ink to bloom, the colours to bleed. Each choice, seemingly casual, imbues the drawings with a tangible sense of the artist's presence, almost like finding one’s way into the atelier. Editor: That makes total sense; a really special encounter to behold! I’ll be sure to note all of this during my gallery walk! Curator: Wonderful. What do you get when combining the concept of wabi-sabi, and an aged object? Editor: Authenticity. This was so enriching! Thank you so much.