Daimyo's Son Viewing the Sumida River by Utagawa Kuninaga 歌川國長

Daimyo's Son Viewing the Sumida River 

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Dimensions: 37.6 x 25.4 cm (14 13/16 x 10 in.)

Copyright: CC0 1.0

Curator: This is Utagawa Kuninaga's woodblock print, "Daimyo's Son Viewing the Sumida River," held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It has a very staged, almost theatrical feel. Everyone's gazing intensely at something beyond the bamboo blinds, creating this anticipatory mood. Curator: Yes, Kuninaga masterfully uses these vertical bamboo lines to structure the composition, segmenting the interior from the exterior view. The repetition draws your eye. Editor: I'm intrigued by the gender dynamics at play. The presence of a sword on a figure holding a musical instrument is really interesting. I wonder if the artist is commenting on the traditional roles versus lived realities of women and power? Curator: It is a work full of contrasts, both aesthetically and conceptually. Thank you for pointing that out. Editor: Thank you. Considering it more deeply makes me want to explore the period and its complex societal layers.

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