Snow Fall at Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto 1932

Hasui Kawase made this print, Snow Fall at Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, with woodblocks, likely in the first half of the 20th century. Look at the greys and blacks and how they create a sense of stillness! I wonder if the artist watched snow falling and how it changed the familiar scene. Imagine the physical process, cutting woodblocks, inking them, and pressing them onto paper. Each layer, a new block, each block a new chance to capture something of the scene, a particular moment of light, of air, of snow. The falling snow is rendered so delicately with individual marks; it looks like an accumulation of tiny gestures. It’s beautiful to see how artists respond to other artists. I imagine Kawase's work in conversation with the earlier tradition of Japanese printmaking and with what other artists were doing at the time. There is a sense of exchange across time, with each artist bringing something new to the conversation.