Daikokuten, from the series "The Seven Gods of Good Luck in Modern Life (Tosei Shichi Fukujin)" c. 1769

Editor: This vibrant woodblock print is by Suzuki Harunobu, dating from around 1769. It's called "Daikokuten, from the series 'The Seven Gods of Good Luck in Modern Life'." I find the scene so lively, but what exactly is going on? Curator: Let’s look closely at the materiality of the printmaking process itself. How does the choice of woodblocks, the application of pigment, shape our understanding? Consider that "ukiyo-e" prints, initially, were made accessible and consumable by a broad populace. It depicts Daikokuten with children engaging in what looks like New Year's rituals, right? It's about capturing everyday life. Editor: Right! So, the mass production using woodblocks meant this artwork could be available to many, shifting art consumption. Curator: Precisely. But what does it say about social hierarchy at the time that, even representations of gods, became commodities? Notice the layering and carving in the woman's kimono versus the God's clothing; do they signify the labour invested, and whose labour exactly? Consider the economics of woodblock production itself. Who profits and what impact it had. Editor: I didn't think about that difference between the way the woman and Daikokuten are depicted. The print almost becomes a record of labour and consumerism rather than strictly a religious image. Curator: And where do those figures stand? Where did Harunobu's resources come from to represent such an elaborate cultural moment. Editor: So it’s a product of the culture and economics of its time just as much as it is an image of good luck and fortune. Fascinating! Thanks! Curator: The material informs the meaning.