The Soga Festival c. 1768

Editor: Here we have Torii Kiyomitsu’s “The Soga Festival,” a woodblock print from around 1768, now at the Art Institute of Chicago. It's got this lively, almost chaotic energy to it, with all the figures and patterns. What draws your attention when you look at this print? Curator: My immediate focus is on the labor involved in producing this ukiyo-e print. Think about the highly skilled artisans: the designers, the block carvers, and the printers. Each contributed significantly to this final product, highlighting a complex system of production and consumption. Editor: So, it's not just about what the image depicts, but about who made it, and how? Curator: Precisely! We must also consider the material limitations and affordances. The choice of wood, the inks used, the paper quality—all impacted the final image. Woodblock printing as a craft speaks volumes. What choices can you detect that were afforded by or perhaps limited by, woodblock printing here? Editor: I see how the lines are very clean and distinct, almost graphic. Maybe that comes from carving the woodblock? And there is a definite layering of colours and shapes, probably a result of many passes with the block. Curator: Yes! Consider, too, that the print would have been widely available, reproduced and distributed. This challenges notions of "high art" as something unique and precious. These mass-produced images were consumable goods embedded within a particular social and economic structure. Editor: I see. It shifts the focus from the artist's individual genius to the collective effort and the materials themselves. I'll never look at a print the same way again! Curator: Exactly, it brings our awareness back to process, labor, and materials themselves, expanding our definition of what art can be.