Dead Leaves

Dead Leaves renders the autumn and winter subject of fallen, drying foliage — the crisp, curled forms of leaves detached from their trees and settling into the patterns of decomposition. Hagiwara's carved surfaces, which could suggest both the papery brittleness of dried leaves and the grain of the wood from which the print was taken, made this subject a natural one for his technique. The dead leaf was also a classic memento mori subject in East Asian art, its connection to impermanence and the cycle of renewal investing the humble subject with philosophical weight.