(Bamboo c. 1877

This is "Bamboo" by Shibata Zeshin, a 19th-century Japanese artist renowned for revitalizing traditional lacquer techniques and infusing them with modern sensibilities. Imagine Zeshin, straddling the Edo and Meiji periods, witnessing Japan's shift from feudalism to modernization. This print, unassuming as it seems, captures that tension. A cat clings to bamboo stalks, perhaps seeking refuge from a storm of parasols. Are these parasols a symbol of Western influence, looming and inescapable? The bamboo, a traditional motif representing resilience, becomes a fragile haven. Zeshin, belonging to the samurai class, brings a deep understanding of Japanese aesthetics and a complex relationship with the changing social order of the time. His emotional connection to Japanese tradition is tangible, yet there is his acknowledgement of a rapidly transforming world.