The Actor Onoe Matsusuke in the Role of the Famous Strong Woman Okane 1760 - 1770

Curator: This woodblock print, dating from 1760 to 1770, depicts "The Actor Onoe Matsusuke in the Role of the Famous Strong Woman Okane," created by Torii Kiyomitsu and residing at The Met. The ukiyo-e work presents a compelling vision of a female figure. Editor: It has a strikingly tender quality to it, wouldn’t you agree? There’s an unusual intimacy about the presentation of Okane here that draws you in. I’m not accustomed to associating 'tenderness' with a powerful or muscular woman. Curator: Absolutely. The delicate rendering of the lines creates that sensitivity while subtly underscoring form, emphasizing how Kiyomitsu orchestrates visual space through line weight and compositional arrangement. It seems crucial to the piece's expressive qualities. Editor: Indeed. The role of Okane—as a famed strong woman—seems almost like drag in that the actor is playing the role of the character. With the presence of Okane, are we to ignore her identity as female? Or is it heightened and therefore a political statement? The details, from her slightly downcast eyes to the simple basket, humanize her. Is the basket filled with stones to add to her exercise of might? What is her role as the one to provide for her family or to go to battle to prove her identity? I see something revolutionary about its message! Curator: Fascinating—to bring it back to the material execution—Kiyomitsu's method allowed him to create these sweeping shapes in Okane's cloak. Look closely and you'll see it allows the garment to nearly engulf the central figure, even as it subtly mirrors and repeats forms and patterns found across the piece. Editor: Viewing this portrait, you sense there's so much to unravel, from examining the artist's background and culture to understanding what femininity looked like in ukiyo-e society. In Okane's features, stance, and costume, you start to find an interesting convergence and conversation that echoes to our contemporary cultural moment. Curator: By carefully modulating light and shadow and by balancing these lines, Kiyomitsu has composed something quietly mesmerizing. I was inspired to re-think just how complex the most subtle aesthetics choices can be!