A bowl of lip rouge 

Curator: So, here we have "A Bowl of Lip Rouge" by Katsushika Hokusai. The medium appears to be watercolor on paper. Editor: It's such an intimate and delicate scene. I am struck by the everyday nature of the objects – the rouge, the letters, and stationary; How do you interpret this work, thinking about it in a materialist lens? Curator: Considering its materials, think about what watercolor on paper meant in the Ukiyo-e tradition. How did the availability of paper, pigments, and printing technologies shape the artistic production? And who was consuming these prints? Editor: Ah, so not just the beauty, but the access, distribution and intended consumer audience. It’s almost like Hokusai captured not just objects but a whole commercial and social process. The use of these colours surely has a deep context, beyond what catches my eye. Curator: Precisely. Lip rouge itself, think about its production, trade, and the labor involved in creating and distributing this cosmetic. And how does the inclusion of calligraphy alongside these mundane objects, challenge boundaries between art and craft, considering it represents the labour of artisans, printers, and even the subjects depicted? Editor: So, you're suggesting that the painting invites us to think about the confluence of artistic, artisanal, and commercial practices inherent to Ukiyo-e tradition? Curator: Exactly! And even the status that came along with purchasing some lip rouge. Hokusai uses humble materials to subtly comment on a complex network of production and consumption in his society. Editor: That is a richer perspective than I first considered! I will never look at watercolour the same way.