IJsvogel jagend op vis
1900 - 1961
Medium
color woodcut
Dimensions
189; 345
About this artwork
height 345 mm x width 189 mm
Art Historical Context
Ohara Koson’s “IJsvogel jagend op vis” captures a fleeting moment of natural drama in a delicate color woodcut. Created between 1900 and 1961, the print depicts a kingfisher poised in mid-hunt above the water, its vivid plumage contrasting sharply with the rippling surface below. Koson, renowned for his kacho-e (bird-and-flower) subjects, infused traditional Japanese printmaking with a refined sense of observation and quiet tension. As a color woodcut, the work relies on the precise carving of multiple cherry-wood blocks, each inked with a different hue and printed in careful registration. Th...
About the Artist
Ohara Koson · 1877–1945
Ohara Koson (1877-1945) was the most successful ukiyo-e artist of the shin-hanga period, renowned for his mastery of kacho-e (bird-and-flower prints). Born in Kanazawa and dying in Tokyo, Koson produced approximately 500 prints during a prolific career that spanned the late Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods. His work exemplifies the shin-hanga movement's successful adaptation of traditional J...