Woodblock Print by Shodo Kawarazaki: Magnolia, Framed

Plum-dark buds and one pale bloom, opening just enough to make a point.

Magnolia is a framed woodblock print by Shodo Kawarazaki (1889-1973), from Japan, dated 1954. It is ink on paper. Flower prints were a popular subject in mid-20th century Japan, continuing a long tradition of seasonal plant imagery in woodblock printing. Here slender brown branches cross a pale gray-green ground, carrying deep purple magnolia buds and one open blossom with white and pink petals. Small green leaves and yellow-green shoots emerge along the stems. A red seal sits at the lower right, inside a cream mat and an ornately carved dark frame. It is 21.25 inches wide and 25.75 high.

Spring, in no particular hurry.