Temptation of the Forest '97-1

Dated to 1997, this etching with chine collé represents an early work in Ando's mature practice. The forest as a subject associated with temptation suggests a thicket or densely vegetated interior where forms press close and light filters partially through — an environment that draws the viewer in through accumulated natural detail. Ando's botanical precision would be applied to individual leaf forms, mosses, or undergrowth rendered with fine crosshatching and aquatint tonal passages. The designation '97-1' indicates this is the first in a series from that year, suggesting Ando was developing the forest interior as a sustained compositional problem.