Rustic Scene 1785 - 1805

Curator: This woodblock print is titled "Rustic Scene," attributed to Chōkyōsai Eiri, dating roughly from 1785 to 1805. You can find it here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: It's...understated. Not what I expect from Ukiyo-e, somehow. The palette is muted, the scene is very static. Is this typical of Eiri? Curator: In some ways, yes. Eiri worked within the late Edo period, when censorship affected printmaking. But the simplified landscape draws focus to the material realities of rural life, which is very much in line with Eiri's work. Note the way the flat planes define fields, likely rice paddies. The composition leads our eyes from the land into the figures. Editor: I’m immediately drawn to the basket and its potential source: who wove it and from what material? Is it simply functional, a container made from readily available resources, or does it bear some kind of artistic signature? Also, consider that labor split: is the figure carrying the basket somehow elevated? Curator: That's a great point. Baskets, clothing—all material evidence of the processes of daily life. Think about the distribution networks involved to provide materials. Now, these two figures gesticulating below… their social positions relative to the basket carrier? Perhaps playful exchange after hard labor, or even something as formal as tribute and governance? Editor: Perhaps the woodblock's availability impacted subject matter and treatment. It dictated line, texture, and potentially influenced scale. And that block itself-- where did it originate? How much did it cost? Did the printers unionize, I wonder. Curator: It's fascinating to consider those layers. Beyond individual authorship, these prints emerged from collective labor and the circulation of materials within the Ukiyo-e workshops of Edo period Japan. The Met holds multiple works by Eiri, and examining them reveals much about cultural shifts and the complex network between artist, artisan and culture. Editor: Looking at this print, I now think it offers a complex look at landscape, labor and resource constraints that belie first glance. Curator: Precisely. “Rustic Scene” prompts us to reconsider not just what is depicted but also the forces that shaped its creation.