A Branch of Plum (Umegoe) 1835 - 1856

Editor: Okay, so we’re looking at “A Branch of Plum (Umegoe)” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, dating from 1835 to 1856. It's a woodblock print, currently housed at The Met. It’s pretty striking, this dramatic scene. There's such tension. What strikes you most about this work? Curator: Well, besides the obvious… drama! What sings to me is the sheer artistry. Kuniyoshi isn't just telling a story; he’s orchestrating a moment. Ukiyo-e prints like these are so interesting because they’re capturing these transient moments of everyday life and… not-so-everyday life. Do you see how the plum blossoms soften the violence of the moment, the coolness of the swords contrasting with the delicate flowers? It makes you wonder about the narrative. Editor: I see that now, the contrast! Like, nature’s beauty versus human conflict? So, is it trying to say something specific about the scene? Curator: Perhaps, and perhaps Kuniyoshi wants us to add our own interpretation, I love that don’t you? He’s giving us fragments. See the calligraphy and other pictorial elements up top – how might they inform or comment on the action below? Are they dialogue, setting the scene, maybe? It reminds us these prints are designed, layered with symbolic richness that echoes throughout the print. Editor: Hmm, I guess I usually focus on the central action, the figures… Curator: Isn't that always the temptation! But then you miss so much. These prints, these *pictures of the floating world,* as they are sometimes called, really invite us to linger. And ponder what they suggest to each one of us. Editor: That's so interesting; I never thought of it as an invitation. I was always a little intimidated! Curator: Well I do encourage a deeper investigation into Ukiyo-e prints - there's such an abundance of historical and contextual material to explore, it may completely shift your perception. Editor: Well, thank you, this has certainly given me a new way to appreciate it!