Fishes Swimming with Yellow Flowers 1820 - 1840

Curator: Here we have "Fishes Swimming with Yellow Flowers," a Japanese woodblock print created between 1820 and 1840 by Keisai Eisen. I am struck, initially, by its quietude. What do you see? Editor: It’s whimsical. Those fish almost look like they're flying through a field of buttercups, a sunny afternoon turned surreal. I appreciate the minimalist backdrop emphasizing these beautiful details, however. Curator: The ukiyo-e tradition, which is very important to contextualize this work, prized such dreamlike images—the floating world evoked in these scenes allowed for poetic expressions of natural beauty with very grounded political meaning. It’s as much about cultural identity as aesthetics. Editor: Indeed. In that period, you can definitely trace how popular culture sought ways of creatively commenting on things beyond reach by overtly political discussions. Nature served as that allegorical canvas and safe topic of expression, where nature becomes more a site of projection than it is representation. It all makes me think, though, about the life cycles the flowers are a-blooming and fishes are a-swimming - everything changing with each passing season, which, of course, the ukiyo-e sensibility always beautifully captured. Curator: I like your perspective on mutability; consider then, that it exists materially as a print! Multiples would be circulating, and in various stages of their lifespans depending on who owned them, their relative locations, etc. As images began to function independently, apart from the elite audiences for whom they once circulated, a truly political significance emerges that speaks directly to the public in surprising and subtle ways. Editor: Thinking through its distribution like that, it makes me feel much more hopeful to ponder how such images can really permeate society, affecting cultural tastes far and wide. It helps remind us that artworks don't exist within bubbles, immune from history, that influence moves in unpredictable directions, doesn’t it? Curator: Yes, exactly. Even an image of swimming fish can offer surprisingly valuable insights, both historically and creatively. Editor: I concur, as now all I’m craving is a good sushi meal amidst beautiful yellow flowers!