Ichikawa Danshiro II as Henmei Tesshinai 1919

Yamamura Toyonari made this striking portrait of Ichikawa Danshiro II, likely a woodblock print, and what grabs me first is how the flat, graphic style is used to create such a powerful sense of presence. Look at the rendering of the face, it’s like a mask. A pale, white plane contrasted with sharp, black lines that define the features. And those features, they are so stylized, the exaggerated nose and the severe set of the mouth conveying a real sense of drama. The artist’s control of line and color is really something; it's very precise and deliberate. There’s a tension here between flatness and depth, simplicity and complexity, that I find fascinating. It’s as if the artist is inviting us to look beyond the surface, to consider the layers of meaning and interpretation inherent in this traditional form of portraiture. Like the work of contemporary artists such as David Hockney, it shows us the ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time. It's a reminder that art thrives on ambiguity, inviting multiple readings rather than settling on fixed meanings.