MAN, LEANING TO SIDE 

Editor: This is "Man, Leaning to Side," a Japanese woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunko, housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It feels heavy, like a moment captured just before something happens. What story do you think it's telling? Curator: Oh, it whispers tales of fleeting moments, doesn't it? I see a Kabuki actor perhaps, caught between acts, or maybe even between worlds. The umbrella, the swords... they are props, yes, but also symbols. Editor: Symbols of what, exactly? Curator: Protection, certainly, but also of status, of performance, of a life lived in the public eye. And the lean? It's a beautiful touch of vulnerability, isn't it? As though the weight of the world rests upon his shoulders. Editor: I hadn't thought about the performance aspect so much. It's more complex than I initially imagined! Curator: Art always is, isn’t it? It's a mirror reflecting ourselves back to ourselves, asking us what we truly see.