Pink Octopus and Three Dancing Women from the series Glorious Amusements of the Brothel Niwaka Festival (Seiro Niwaka zensei asobi) c. 1800 - 1806

Curator: Look at this intriguing print, "Pink Octopus and Three Dancing Women," by Kitagawa Utamaro, likely created during the late Edo period. The Harvard Art Museums holds this woodblock print. Editor: Well, it’s certainly…unexpected. The octopus looming behind the women feels both comical and a bit unsettling. Curator: Indeed! Utamaro was deeply engaged in representing the pleasure districts. These women, probably sex workers, are shown in a celebratory context during the Niwaka festival. The octopus is made using multiple blocks. Editor: I see the details in the robes! The whole image has such a playful feel, even with that giant cephalopod staring us down. It makes me wonder what the revelers were eating, drinking, and experiencing. Curator: Exactly, how the artist used different woodblocks to represent the culture of that time, and the festival celebrations and the everyday life are all linked. Editor: I'll never look at an octopus the same way.