De derde maand 1861

Curator: The initial feeling this work evokes is serenity. It’s so carefully balanced and peaceful. Editor: Welcome. We're standing before Utagawa Kunisada’s "De derde maand," created around 1861. This mixed-media print, now housed in the Rijksmuseum, offers a fascinating look into ukiyo-e artistry. What catches your eye about it? Curator: The division into three distinct panels immediately creates a formal structure, a triptych. Note how the figures are arranged, each panel offering a slightly different perspective but harmonizing through the unified color palette and thematic continuity. The eye is led on a journey. Editor: Indeed. The construction and material elements used in ukiyo-e prints are significant. Each line had to be meticulously carved into woodblocks. The act of creation—artisans, publishers, and artists each fulfilling different aspects of its making—is very much part of the picture we're viewing today. These weren't simple artworks; they were products of considerable collaborative labor designed for a mass audience. Curator: Absolutely. And within that commercial aspect, the artist skillfully plays with asymmetry and contrasting elements to establish visual interest. The patterns on the kimonos alone could occupy a small treatise on form. I'm particularly struck by the negative space. Editor: Note how textiles here, in the figures' garments and surrounding décor, feature heavily as a mark of high culture and commercial prowess. What kind of lives did they represent for those who engaged with the work at the time? What does it tell us about the consumption habits and social mores? Curator: The cherry blossoms and springtime motifs speak of transient beauty and the fleeting nature of life. There's a gentle melancholy woven into these images of leisure and social gatherings. Editor: The themes, combined with materiality, take the image beyond its pretty surface and offer a peek at social hierarchies of the time and offer cues regarding who it was originally for. I now experience that melancholic contemplation much more fully. Curator: Yes. It offers much food for thought. Editor: Absolutely. A delightful exploration that broadens our appreciation, I think.