Kleine koekoek 1908 - 1909

Editor: So this is 'Kleine koekoek,' or 'Little Cuckoo,' a woodblock print from 1908-1909 by Goyo Hashiguchi. There’s a fascinating stillness about this piece. What really stands out is the curious placement of figures, they appear to be frozen mid-gesture, like actors on a miniature stage. How do you interpret that kind of deliberate composition? Curator: It's interesting you picked up on the stillness – almost as if the whole image is holding its breath! For me, this isn’t just a composition, it’s a portal. Think of Ukiyo-e tradition meeting Symbolist sensibilities…that deliberate awkwardness almost pushes the viewer to ask: what is it *actually* about? Are we glimpsing some folk tale being enacted, perhaps a slightly surreal fable, where the 'little cuckoo' maybe stands in for lost innocence, or a memory that eludes our grasp? Editor: A portal, that's beautiful. The symbolism is striking, especially with the juxtaposition of what look like humanoid monkeys or maybe strange children. I initially took them just as decoration! Curator: And you’re right – they function aesthetically. Yet, they are so uncanny! They give off a touch of that *Manoa tupapau*, the gaze and mystery and slight discomfort. Goyo, through this, manages to nudge us from simple observation into a realm of more poetic, internal reflection. Almost asking if you can recall and return. See what I mean? Editor: I do! Now, looking at the figures almost like memories, they're unsettling in a very profound way. Is that his signature on the bottom right, obscured by the colors? Curator: Good eyes! It is! And it’s almost as if the artist is also acknowledging their presence within, but also slightly detached *from* the creation. And with this simple print, the more that you notice the complexity, the deeper into reflection and discovery that you are guided... the magic within. Editor: Thank you for opening my eyes to this hidden meaning! It’s given me so much to think about. Curator: And thank *you* for asking such insightful questions; the art comes alive when it encounters another soul!