A Tall Young Man Carrying a Bamboo Rake Over His Left Shoulder 1753 - 1773

Editor: Here we have "A Tall Young Man Carrying a Bamboo Rake Over His Left Shoulder" by Torii Kiyomitsu, created sometime between 1753 and 1773. It looks like it’s a woodblock print, quite elegant and stylized. What catches your eye in this work? Curator: Well, focusing on the materiality, I see a deliberate interplay between the organic materials: the bamboo rake itself, the paper it's printed on, the inks derived from natural pigments. Think about the labour involved, too, from cultivating the bamboo to grinding the pigments and the careful carving of the woodblock. It all speaks to a connection to the natural world. Editor: So, you're focusing on the process, not just the image itself? Curator: Precisely. Ukiyo-e prints, while often depicting pleasure districts and fashionable figures, are products of a complex social and economic system. This wasn't just "art" in the high art sense; it was a commodity, mass-produced for a burgeoning urban consumer class. What kind of audience do you imagine this piece being aimed at? Editor: Someone interested in Kabuki actors or the latest fashions, maybe? Curator: Exactly. And who are the labourers behind creating Kabuki costumes or the consumer-based materials in the linocut? Are these figures or labor practices acknowledged? Editor: That makes me rethink the seemingly simple image. It’s not just a portrait but a reflection of the materials and the hands that shaped its world. Thanks! Curator: Absolutely. Considering art's place in a larger system of production and consumption always reveals interesting insights.