Red dragonfly and locust by pinks 1788

This diptych, featuring a red dragonfly and locust amidst pinks, was made by Kitagawa Utamaro, a prominent artist of the Edo period in Japan. Utamaro emerged during a time of relative peace and economic growth under the Tokugawa shogunate. His work embodies the aesthetic values of the merchant class, who were rising in social and economic power despite their low official status. The natural world depicted here reflects the interest in the environment and a move towards greater realism which was just starting to influence art institutions. Woodblock prints like this one were affordable, allowing a wider audience to engage with art. Utamaro's careful rendering of each insect and flower, as well as the integration of calligraphy, speaks to the sophisticated tastes of his patrons and comments on the social structures of the time. As historians, we can use resources such as period literature, economic data, and studies of artistic patronage to deepen our understanding of works like this and how art is always shaped by the society in which it is produced.