Winter

Shogo Okamoto

Shogo Okamoto was born in Tokyo in 1920. He graduated from the National Tokyo Academy of Fine Arts from the department of oil painting in 1943, and didn't begin studying the etching process until 1964, at which point it became his primary medium. He became known for his highly detailed, sensitive color etchings with aquatint depicting Japanese landscapes and flora. Of particular note were his images that focused on small details that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Here, the viewer is invited to observe up close the bare branches of a hedge, beyond which rests dark earth and brush and a bright blue horizon. One can imagine the soft winter stillness, punctuated from time to time by the sounds of songbirds hunting for their meal.