After the Bath 1917

Ito Shinsui’s woodblock print, After the Bath, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, captures a quiet moment of domesticity. Made with ink and color on paper, the work whispers with gentle lines and muted tones, punctuated by the splash of the red skirt. The artist is playing with flatness and depth, the way one plane meets another. The skirt spills forward, yet remains part of the surface. I imagine Shinsui carefully considering each line, each color block, building up the image layer by layer. Look at the way the woman bends forward. See the soft curve of her neck and shoulders. It’s a study in simplicity, yet it speaks volumes about form and feeling. What might she be thinking? Artists like Shinsui remind us that making images is about seeing, feeling, and translating the world around us. His prints build on traditions, yet also point toward new ways of seeing. It’s all one big conversation!