Candlelight (Rosoku no akari)

"Candlelight" (Rosoku no akari) is among Binnie's most atmospherically demanding subjects — the specific quality of candlelight, with its warm, concentrated glow and the deep shadow it casts, requires the printmaker to render two simultaneous states of light in a single image. In shin-hanga bijin-ga, candlelight scenes evoke intimacy and the private hours of the night, the single flame creating a pool of warmth in which a figure exists close to the edge of darkness. The woodblock medium's capacity for rich shadow makes it ideal for this subject.