The Actor Asao Tamejuro I as Drunken Gotobei in the Play Yoshitsune Koshigoe Jo, Performed at the Ichimura Theater in the Ninth Month, 1790 c. 1790

Editor: Here we have Katsukawa Shun'ei’s woodblock print, "The Actor Asao Tamejuro I as Drunken Gotobei…," created around 1790. I’m really struck by the expressiveness that Shun’ei achieves with what appears to be very limited means, like the minimal color palette. What stands out to you in terms of production or materiality? Curator: Let's consider this print as a product of its time. Ukiyo-e prints like this were a major form of entertainment for the masses. This image isn't just art, it's a commodity made using multiple blocks for each color, think of the skilled labor involved in carving those blocks and printing each impression. How does understanding this process change your perception? Editor: It definitely makes me think more about the skilled craftspeople who would have been involved in the print's creation, almost like a small-scale industry, rather than just the named artist. The artist created the composition, but many hands shaped the final product. I guess, given this division of labor, is there something in the work itself that seems mass produced? Curator: I'd say the clean lines and the standardization of the actor prints, fitting within specific sizes and styles, indicate a product made for wide distribution and consumption. The subject matter – a popular actor in a well-known role – points to a market driven by public interest and demand. Do you see how the performance itself is mediated by the production process? Editor: Yes, thinking about it, the print isn't just a depiction, it’s almost like a piece of advertisement for the play and the actor. Curator: Precisely. The materiality and production are inseparable from the social and economic context in which the art exists. Seeing it this way transforms how we appreciate this woodblock print, right? Editor: Absolutely. I will certainly not view these prints as merely images, but as products made in a very distinct historical environment. Thanks.