Stepping Stones in Afternoon, Nara Isui-en 1960

Unichi Hiratsuka made this woodblock print, Stepping Stones in Afternoon, Nara Isui-en, using black ink to carve out a scene that is both serene and meticulously crafted. Imagine Hiratsuka, poised with his tools, carefully excavating the wood to reveal these cylindrical stepping stones. Each one is a testament to precision, a deep meditation expressed in monochrome. The water surrounds them, dark and still, punctuated by the light reflecting off the surface. I love the way these stones seem to invite us into the landscape, but they also seem like some kind of symbol. The contrast between black and white, hard and soft, light and shadow, maybe it is all about the nature of perception, about how we navigate the world, one step at a time. Hiratsuka reminds me of other printmakers, like Munch, who use the starkness of the medium to convey intense emotion. It’s all part of this ongoing dialogue in art, where artists build on each other's visions. Each artwork offering us new ways to see, think, and feel our way through life.