Actors among the Garden Oaks (Yakusha konotegashiwa) by Shōkōsai Hanbei

Actors among the Garden Oaks (Yakusha konotegashiwa) c. 1799

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print, woodblock-print

portrait

print

asian-art

ukiyo-e

figuration

woodblock-print

Dimensions: 10 1/16 × 7 1/2 × 9/16 in. (25.5 × 19 × 1.5 cm) (book)10 3/16 × 7 3/4 × 7/8 in. (25.8 × 19.7 × 2.2 cm) (case)

Curator: This remarkable woodblock print, “Actors among the Garden Oaks” comes to us from around 1799 and is attributed to Shōkōsai Hanbei. Part of the Ukiyo-e movement, it currently resides here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor, what's your initial reaction? Editor: Well, there's an undeniable sense of quiet drama radiating from this print. The way the central figure’s gaze drifts off feels introspective, maybe a little melancholy, and the backdrop feels secondary to the portrait. The way the gold leaf has been applied is incredible and gives a tangible sense of luxury and elegance. I keep wondering what she's thinking... or what the significance of those garden oaks could be. Curator: Indeed, Ukiyo-e, translating to 'pictures of the floating world,' often depicted actors, courtesans, and scenes from daily life. In this context, the presence of garden oaks could allude to themes of performance and identity intertwined with nature. Trees can be used as metaphors of inner feeling, while at the same time signaling a highly stylized and coded realm. Editor: Exactly. The floating world implies this impermanence of beauty and performance. I’m curious about how the actor might have resonated with the artist and audience. Do we see something of Shōkōsai Hanbei's own reflection, or a subtle commentary, through her depiction? Perhaps it touches upon their sense of belonging, a dialogue between identity and artifice that unfolds. The inclusion of her calligraphy within the design reinforces a link between the real and representational realms. It might serve as the actor's artistic signature or maybe that of a contemporary admirer? Curator: What strikes me about this Ukiyo-e image is that beyond being a portrait of a stage persona, it encapsulates wider cultural dialogues surrounding beauty and societal expectations, class and profession, which continued to shape artistic and theatrical traditions. This print offers a fascinating lens through which we may reconsider how art preserves and adapts these narratives. Editor: Looking at this image closely, it also feels very much about capturing fleeting moments of beauty and presence within life. A beautiful composition, that carries within it a trace of the human touch, not just technically, but emotionally. It reminds us of our own shared histories as humans, the ever-present play of appearance, personality, and our attempts to capture some of life’s profundity through the arts. Curator: Well, Editor, your fresh insights offer just another rewarding peek behind the curtains of art history! Thank you.

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minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago

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A man, with a crazed look in his eyes, raises a scythe as if to strike. His hair flies around his face, whipped up by the wind that carries snow flurries. The illustration, one of 32 included in this book, is a portrait of the actor Sawamura Sōjūrō III (1753-1801), a kabuki actor who stood on the Osaka kabuki theater stage. This book is filled with portraits of thirty-two kabuki actors who were active in the late eighteenth century. Each illustration is delicately and lavishly painted with ample color as well as gold and silver pigments. He used unusual painting techniques as well, such as blowing shell white to create the effect of snow, as seen in this scene. The painter, Shōkōsai Hanbei, was known for his prints and illustrated books about the Osaka theater and marketed to their fans. A handpainted book like this one may have been commissioned by patrons who wanted images of their idols.