Actor c. late 19th century

Editor: Here we have Utagawa Kuniyoshi's "Actor," a vibrant woodblock print. I'm immediately struck by the bold patterns of the actor's costume. How do you interpret this work? Curator: I see a complex interplay between the image and the means of its production. Consider the labor involved in carving the woodblocks, and printing each color separately. How does this process influence our understanding of the final image, and its role in popular culture? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered! Curator: It makes us consider the consumption of such images, and the social context in which they were created and distributed. Editor: It's fascinating to think about the printmaking process in such a material way.