Osen

Titled Osen — a Japanese woman's name with historical associations to the bijin-ga tradition — this 2024 woodblock print depicts an interior subject, placing it within a domestic or architectural register rather than landscape. Karhu's Kyoto studio context suggests a tatami room, fusuma panels, or shoji-filtered light as likely compositional elements. A figure may appear in period or contemporary dress, engaged in a quiet activity that echoes the understated mood of shin-hanga bijin-ga without directly imitating the genre. Interior subjects demand careful handling of flat, even color fields and precise registration to render spatial depth through overlapping planes rather than perspective. The work demonstrates Karhu's range beyond his Fuji series.