Page from Hagoromo (Feathered Robe) c. 1984 - 1986

Curator: Welcome. We're looking at "Page from Hagoromo (Feathered Robe)" by Matsubara Naoko, held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There's an immediate sense of weight to this print; the figure strains under the mass of what appears to be feathers. Curator: Indeed. Observe how the artist uses contrasting colors and textures to create visual interest and symbolic depth, emphasizing the movement from earthly to ethereal. Editor: I see the hands reaching upwards. It reminds me of the labor involved in printmaking, the pressing of the woodblock to paper. Curator: Precisely. The contrast in form, the human versus the symbolic, creates a subtle tension, a dialogue between the concrete and the abstract. Editor: It's fascinating how the artist captures this delicate balance of weight and ephemerality using such material processes. Curator: It leaves us pondering the essence of performance and the human desire for transcendence.