Mandarin ducks 1925 - 1936

Curator: Let’s turn our attention to this print by Ohara Koson, created sometime between 1925 and 1936. It’s titled, "Mandarin Ducks." Editor: Ah, the muted palette creates such a tranquil scene. It’s primarily blues and browns, soft washes of colour, really. The composition feels deliberately balanced, too. Curator: Indeed. Koson's skill with the medium is evident. Note how the watercolor and woodblock techniques harmonize to create a seamless, pictorial plane. He employs subtle gradations and strategic line work to construct a world both serene and precise. Editor: And these mandarin ducks are freighted with symbolism! They are harbingers of affection, conjugal fidelity, and happiness in marriage. It’s such an intimate moment; the viewer feels like an invisible voyeur. The wintry setting enhances this sense of peaceful isolation. Curator: The choice of Ukiyo-e, particularly for its flattening effects and planar organisation, serves to compress spatial depth, guiding the eye smoothly across the composition. Japonisme certainly had its lasting effect. Editor: The overhanging snow-covered branches contribute to this idea that it’s an ideal setting. The ducks are safe here, loved here. Curator: Yet, while these details suggest that theme of happiness and conjugal love, the overall mood is decidedly contemplative, bordering on melancholic. There’s a stillness. Perhaps it’s that the image does not invite interaction with the scene so much as distanced viewing, a consideration of what the objects displayed represent, not what they *are*. Editor: Perhaps. But I see resilience there. Even in the cold depths of winter, love endures, just as these ducks persevere, a hopeful visual poem written in gentle colors. Curator: A lovely way of interpreting it. The harmony between form and feeling is really at the heart of Koson’s achievement here. Editor: Yes, ultimately it all ties back to these symbols resonating so beautifully with those themes of marital peace and beauty within that balanced structure. It all comes together to create this visual tale of love and happiness.