The Return to Court of the Four Graybeards of Mount Shang (left); Su Shi’s Visit to the Wind and Water Cave (right 1571 - 1599

Editor: This is a folding screen titled "The Return to Court of the Four Graybeards of Mount Shang; Su Shi’s Visit to the Wind and Water Cave" created by Kano Mitsunobu between 1571 and 1599. It’s currently located here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The use of gold leaf is striking; what strikes you most about this piece? Curator: The sheer labor involved in the production is my first thought. Consider the mining and processing of the gold, the preparation of the paper, the grinding of the pigments, the meticulous application of each layer. Were these materials sourced locally? If imported, how did trade networks shape artistic styles and availability? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered! So you're thinking about the supply chains, in a way, behind the artwork itself. Curator: Precisely. The materials themselves become a lens through which to view the social and economic conditions of the time. Who had access to this luxury item? How does its materiality reflect the power dynamics of 16th century Japan? What kind of workshop organization do you imagine produced a work of such a big scale, and who were those craftspeople? Were their contributions acknowledged? Editor: I guess I was focused on the aesthetic quality but those are relevant factors in determining the cultural significance. Do the painting styles have their roots in older modes of material and artisanal production? Curator: Indeed, the lineage of craft traditions heavily impacted painting. The artist inherits particular established working procedures for each type of artwork he makes. Editor: Thanks for directing my thinking. I’m more mindful now of art as labor and how social frameworks affect material access and choices. Curator: Likewise. Considering these dimensions reveals previously obscured aspects. Let's observe them more attentively.