L'Homme Au Sabre. Aino, Hokkaido 1955

This is a print by Paul Jacoulet called 'L'Homme Au Sabre', and I can just imagine him, a French guy, making these Japanese prints. It's really something, isn't it, how artists can be so drawn to other cultures. I can imagine him dreaming it all up. The colors here are so fresh and clean; the Aino man’s robe is all swirly and patterned, and then the bear at his feet. And the man himself is so relaxed. What’s he thinking about as he gazes off into the distance? Is he thinking about woodcuts, and how the surface of the block makes a certain kind of mark? There is such a dialogue going on between artists. Here’s Jacoulet, a French guy, making Japanese prints, but he is also looking at the culture of the Aino people, which is indigenous to Japan. It’s like he’s building on top of building, seeing through different eyes, making something brand new.