Scarlet hibiscus 1939

Curator: "Scarlet Hibiscus" by Kawai Kenji, dating to 1939. It combines screenprint and tempera on what appears to be a traditional folding screen format. The layering is pretty striking; how does it hit you? Editor: Immediately I'm struck by its warmth. It radiates a late-summer, honeyed feeling. It reminds me of being a child and finding drowsy bumblebees stuck on windowpanes on hot afternoons. What materials do you think they used to create this glow? Curator: Tempera would certainly lend itself to that effect, especially combined with the absorptive qualities of the screen print layers. It would soak up light, creating those diffused effects in the hibiscus petals. The material base is very deliberate, too—this kind of screen provided more than just an aesthetic function. It's interesting to observe the craft of painting integrated so thoroughly into domestic architecture and social space. Editor: It’s more than decorative—it actively structures how one moves and perceives a space. Did the screen itself come before the painting, or was it conceptualized all at once? How did that relationship influence Kenji’s process? I almost get a glimpse into his mind here, through these translucent layers of craft. Curator: Archival documentation suggests it was produced collaboratively; that the woodworking may have been subcontracted based on Kenji’s initial specs. The materials—wood, paint, ink, the silkscreen—these elements tell a broader story. We can infer trade networks, the economics of art production, even access to certain pigments that defined the available palette of the period. Editor: Fascinating. I love thinking about those unseen hands, the chain of events and processes that lead to the birth of a single piece like this. And, it is more than a piece, isn't it? Curator: Absolutely, and let's consider, too, the potential disruption of importing Asian stylistic practices in an environment of increased resource demands due to political unrest. Every piece here resonates beyond the artist's gesture. Editor: Absolutely! Thinking about the history imbued in the piece just changes its glow somehow. I appreciate you shining that light for me! Curator: Glad to connect those dots. Always enjoy diving into the materials!