A Cat Interrupts a Dogfight to Avenge the Death of Her Mother 1875

Editor: Here we have Tsukioka Yoshitoshi's woodblock print from 1875, titled "A Cat Interrupts a Dogfight to Avenge the Death of Her Mother". It's quite a scene! The expressions of the crowd are captivating. What draws your attention when you look at it? Curator: As a materialist, I am interested in how Yoshitoshi utilized readily available and cheap materials like wood and pigment to create this print. The Ukiyo-e tradition democratized art, bringing images and narratives to a wider audience through this method of reproduction. Notice the detail in the textiles versus the faces of the figures. Does this distinction imply differences in social status, impacting our understanding of consumerism? Editor: That's an interesting perspective I hadn't considered. I was focusing on the central narrative, the kind of dramatic storytelling going on here. Curator: The narrative is compelling, but consider what it meant to reproduce this scene en masse. Each print required labor, from the carving of the woodblocks to the application of the inks. How might we consider the hands involved in the production and distribution of such prints as actively contributing to the "authorship" of the image? It’s a question of not just *who* made the art but *how*. Editor: So, looking beyond the artist's intent, we're examining the entire production process as a reflection of the cultural and economic context? Curator: Exactly. And it changes the traditional reading of the subject and moves the reading from fine art to commodity. The cat's act of vengeance might be entertaining, but it is also a symptom of this print's socio-economic footprint within 19th-century Japan. Editor: That definitely provides a new appreciation for woodblock prints, as more than just aesthetically pleasing objects, and connects them to the broader society. Thank you. Curator: The focus on production truly opens a wealth of alternative readings for this, and other, works of art.