Tigers by Mountain Streams [left of a pair] c. 1892 - 1895

Curator: Immediately, I’m struck by the raw, almost feral energy emanating from those tigers. Editor: We are looking at “Tigers by Mountain Streams [left of a pair]” by Kishi Chikudō, created between 1892 and 1895. It's a watercolor illustration. Curator: Watercolor is quite an interesting choice for this subject matter; watercolour suggests a lightness or delicacy at odds with the sheer physical power of those creatures. Editor: Indeed. But there's more than just physical prowess. The tiger has significant symbolism in Japanese culture. Can you expand on that? Curator: Absolutely. In Japan, the tiger serves as protection against evil spirits and misfortune, offering potent symbolic shielding. Often, it appears in art alongside bamboo or dragons, representing opposing yet complementary forces – strength and resilience, nobility, or untamed nature versus wisdom. Editor: It's also interesting how Chikudo has chosen to depict the animals amidst a rather stylized landscape, focusing more on the tigers themselves, than providing naturalistic backgrounds. How might that contribute to its cultural weight? Curator: It allows the animal’s symbolic power to come to the foreground. Notice how their bodies merge somewhat with the painted strokes representing mountain and cloud; it heightens the feeling that their very being is integrated within, essential to, the land. Look also to the rich materiality, that pervasive gold acting almost as a protective spiritual shield. Editor: I see what you mean. The composition directs us toward those intense facial expressions; in particular, the tiger with its open jaws. Curator: Precisely. Those teeth, rendered with such sharp precision, seem ready to consume all negative forces aligned against you; to stand for courage and conviction, the destruction of ignorance, as an indomitable symbol across time. Editor: Studying how such potent motifs operate across so many cultures always offers such depth. Curator: I concur. Art gives us insight, always, into human needs.