Koson 小原古邨 : Night Heron Wading in the Rain (First Edition) (SOLD)

Artist: Ohara Kōson (1877-1945)
Title: Night Heron Wading in the Rain
Date: Ca. 1910

A night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) gazes back at the viewer as it wades in shallow water during a rainstorm.  Our viewpoint is behind the animal, so we feel like we are stalking the bird the way that it is stalking its prey. The radial ripples of the falling rain are beautifully suggested by grey circlets on the water’s surface. Surrounding the bird, the grey sky transitions into a lighter area before the bokashi then transforms into more of a soft and watery blue, below. The lighter glow around the bird also serves to draw our attention to the form of the bird itself.  Covering the entire scene is the softest curtain of drizzle, which includes both soft grey and some subtle white. This is a scarce design in the first edition. Koson can sometimes really capture the essence of of a bird, such that we can feel its personality and meet its gaze; this is one of those designs. The rain is beautifully printed, and the bending reeds are done in an ink-brushstroke style.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Mint.
Dimensions: 36.8 x 19.3 cm

Publisher: Matsuki Heikichi
Literature: See "Crows, Cranes and Camellias" (2010), page 122, no. 116 and K14.3. 
Seal: Koson Signature: Koson

SKU: KOC106T