Towards The Light, Fern Grove (34/50)
by Mayumi Oda
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- robynbuntin
Description
A composition depicting movement toward light through a grove of ferns — one of Oda's most directly spiritual and ecologically grounded subjects. The fern (shida in Japanese) is among the most ancient of plants, appearing in the fossil record hundreds of millions of years before the flowering plants that dominate contemporary ecosystems. A grove of ferns thus carries the weight of deep geological time, and moving through it toward light becomes a movement through biological history toward something as ancient and enduring as the ferns themselves. Oda's Hawaiian context adds specificity: the Hawaiian islands' native forests of tree ferns are among the most dramatic and spiritually significant landscapes in the Pacific.
More Prints by Mayumi Oda
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Towards The Light, Fern Grove (34/50) was created by Mayumi Oda (小田真由美).
Towards The Light, Fern Grove (34/50) depicts landscapes, religious, and trees.