Grasshoper and Fool Moon 1910

Ohara Koson made this print, Grasshopper and Full Moon, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. Look at the soft grays and how a large, luminous moon hangs in the sky, filtered through delicate grasses. I can imagine Koson carefully layering each colour to create this calm nocturnal scene. What was Koson thinking, sitting with this grasshopper under the moonlight? The image has a quiet stillness, but the grasses also suggest movement, like they’re swaying gently in the night breeze. The grasshopper sits, maybe listening to the sounds of the night. Japanese artists have a knack for finding the sublime in everyday nature. This print reminds me of how art can transform the ordinary into something extraordinary. We can appreciate it as a moment of shared experience between artist and viewer.