Taking a Nap 1933

Torii Kotondo made this print of a woman napping, and it's all about the contrast between that cherry-red background and the cool green of her kimono. I imagine Kotondo thinking about how to capture that exact moment of drifting off, that weightlessness just before sleep. There's so much detail here, those tiny patterns on the kimono, the way the light catches the gold in her hair. You can almost feel the texture of the paper. And that pose – so vulnerable, so human. It reminds me of some of Utamaro's prints, but with a softer edge. Kotondo is doing something new, something very modern. It makes me think about how artists are always in conversation with each other, borrowing ideas, pushing boundaries. It’s not just about copying but taking something and making it your own. That's what makes art so exciting, right?