WISTERIA TIME 

Editor: This is Katsukawa Shunchō's "Wisteria Time," from the late 18th century. It's a beautiful print on paper with so many figures! I’m immediately drawn to the way the artist uses line and color. What do you see as most striking? Curator: The composition is intriguing. Notice how the figures are arranged in a relatively flat picture plane, with an emphasis on pattern and line rather than depth. The wisteria at the top serves not as a background, but as a framing element. Editor: So the artist is more concerned with the arrangement of shapes than creating a realistic scene? Curator: Precisely. Consider the interplay of colors and how they interact with the linear patterns of the kimonos. The artist is exploring the aesthetic possibilities of the medium. Editor: That makes me look at it differently now. The flattening and the emphasis on pattern really come to the forefront. Thank you.