Bijin in the Snow- silk painting

A beautiful woman stands amid falling snow in this [oban](/glossary/oban) woodblock print described as a silk painting, though produced in the woodblock medium. The distinction may refer to the painting-like quality of the print, which uses soft color gradations and fine detail to mimic the effects of brush painting on silk. Ota Masamitsu, better known for his kabuki actor portraits, here works in the [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) tradition, presenting a female figure against a winter landscape where snowflakes drift downward. The woman's kimono would provide a warm contrast to the cold, monochromatic snow, its patterns and colors drawing the eye to the figure as the focal point of the composition. Snow in woodblock prints is achieved by leaving areas of paper unprinted, allowing the white of the [washi](/glossary/washi) to serve as both surface and subject, while the falling flakes are either printed as small white dots against a grey sky or suggested by negative space.