Jay on tree branch 1900 - 1910

Ohara Koson made this woodblock print of a jay on a tree branch sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The colour palette here is restrained but beautiful; the grey tones are layered to give a sense of depth, especially in the leaves. For me, the process of layering is like building up thoughts, each one adding to the overall picture, which is how I think about making paintings. What strikes me most is the texture. Look closely, and you can see the marks of the woodblock, a kind of graininess that gives the image a tactile quality. It’s like you could reach out and feel the bird’s feathers or the rough bark of the branch. The way the artist has used these textures to create a sense of depth and atmosphere is really impressive. I love the way that the wing has these little flecks of blue, they almost seem to hover on the surface. Koson’s work reminds me a bit of Hiroshige, particularly in its focus on nature and its delicate use of colour, a reminder that art is all about conversations across time, each artist building on the ideas of those who came before.