Actors Segawa Kikunojō as a Woman with Ichikawa Monnosuke and Nakamura Denkurō 2nd Mid to Late Edo period, late 18th to early 19th century

Curator: Here we have Torii Kiyonaga's "Actors Segawa Kikunojō as a Woman with Ichikawa Monnosuke and Nakamura Denkurō 2nd", a print held at the Harvard Art Museums. What do you make of it? Editor: Well, it has a distinct flatness, doesn't it? Almost like fabric itself, or a painted screen—a very deliberate layering of planes. Curator: Indeed. Kiyonaga was a master of ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world." These prints were actually produced using woodblocks, with different blocks for each color. Editor: That accounts for the sharp lines, and the way each color seems so contained. It's a testament to the skill involved in registering each block precisely. I'm also intrigued by the actors themselves, how their roles are literally embodied through layers of costume and makeup. Curator: Kabuki was a vital part of the urban culture, and Kiyonaga captures the theatricality of these performers. Their gestures are so refined, so calculated, it's all spectacle. Editor: Exactly. The materiality of that spectacle—the paper, the wood, the ink, the labor—reveals a fascinating glimpse into the economy of pleasure in old Japan. Curator: It makes you wonder, who was consuming these images? And what did they take away from them? Editor: Perhaps a vicarious thrill, a touch of glamour… or maybe just a deeper appreciation for the artistry of the everyday.