In the snow on Yanagibashi 1927

Ohara Koson made this print of figures in the snow on Yanagibashi, and right away, the falling snow feels like a pattern that’s been laid over the whole scene. It softens all the edges, kinda like a filter. I wonder about the decision making here—how much was planned in advance, how much was discovered? The umbrellas become abstract forms and are almost sculptural in their own right. Look at the way they are angled, echoing the branches of the willow tree, but also offering some shelter to the figures below. You can really feel the quietness of the scene. It reminds me how the best paintings can stop time, inviting us to pause and contemplate a moment, an emotion, or an idea. It’s what all artists hope for, that some small part of their own experience might resonate with someone else.