I Ching III

The third plate in the I Ching cycle continues to mine the binary structure of the hexagrams, which combine into sixty-four configurations from two basic line types. By the third entry, a serial print sequence often establishes its variational principle clearly: subsequent plates either advance through the hexagram order, juxtapose related figures, or modify a single graphic element to mark difference. The horizontal banded composition of any hexagram-based image is well matched to woodblock relief, where unprinted negative space between cut bars is as legible as the printed surface itself. Qian's mokuhanga prints typically register multiple blocks against handmade washi to achieve crisp linear edges, with optional bokashi softening for tonal range. The I Ching series sits alongside other diagrammatic woodblock work in Qian's catalogue, in which mathematical and cosmological systems — drawn from both his Chinese heritage and his university training in mathematics — are recast as carved imagery.