Quick Print: Cherry Blossoms and Pigeon by Nichimura Hodō (1937)

Nishimura Hodō, Cherry Blossoms and Pigeon, 1937, woodblock print, 14 7/16 × 9 3/8 in., LACMA.

Pigeons are funky little creatures. Doesn’t this dove look so vividly spectacular?

This elegant dove by N. Hodo seems so life-like in composition. Deep blue-grays transition into subtle earth over the dove’s ornithological frame, a hefty sense of contrast weighting stoutly over the dove’s wings. The flat background, rendered in black ink, is daring, for sure – visually and materially. Endowing the woodblock with a hearty dose of ink along, interspersed between the soft rosy blush of cherry blossoms, would have undoubtedly posed a risk.

Yet, as it turned out, a successful one. A lightness of cherry blossoms enliven the dove’s peculiar silhouette, inspiring pets and contemplation.

Take flight with Air – Premiers Symptômes as you appreciate Hodō’s dignified dove and, perhaps, the transient nature of thought.