Jessica Reclining

Jessica Reclining presents the model in a horizontal pose along the length of the sheet, an orientation that echoes the odalisque tradition of European painting while being executed in the wholly Japanese medium of mokuhanga. The composition centers on the elongated line of the body, with weight distributed through hip and shoulder, the head turned to engage or avoid the viewer's gaze. Lyon's process for figurative work of this scale typically begins with a photograph, which is processed digitally into a halftone pattern and carved into multiple woodblocks by CNC milling; the blocks are then inked with water-based pigments and printed by hand on dampened [washi](/glossary/washi) using a [baren](/glossary/baren). The resulting tonal range — from highlight to deep shadow — is achieved entirely through density of carved marks rather than gradient [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi), though Lyon does deploy bokashi in selected passages. As a flagship subject within his body of work, the reclining Jessica exemplifies his project of bringing the contemporary photographic nude into the technical vocabulary of Edo-period printmaking.