Surimono album 1845 - 1865

Editor: This is the Surimono album, made between 1845 and 1865 by diverse makers and it’s currently held in the Rijksmuseum collection. What strikes me most is the toned paper. How does the texture and material contribute to the overall mood? Curator: Ah, the muted tones draw you in, don't they? You know, paper in Ukiyo-e, like life, takes center stage. The paper itself, the very bones of the print, becomes an unspoken poem. Run your fingers over a similar sheet sometime and imagine the hands that coaxed such delicacy from pulp! The color, what *don’t* you see in it? Does it whisper secrets? Editor: Definitely! I'm curious though; the metadata mentions watercolor as well, and yet it appears almost monochrome. Is that a trick of the eye or a stylistic choice of the time? Curator: A superb observation. See, that whisper is there! Watercolor offers layers of potential vibrancy; its deliberate restraint here asks something different of the viewer, no? Perhaps suggesting hidden depths, a world existing beyond the surface, that we have to squint to see clearly. What do *you* suppose is there, lurking just below our perception? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way. It invites a slower, more considered viewing experience, rather than immediate gratification. Curator: Exactly. Maybe it is the calm moment of reflection *after* the big action of an Ukiyo-e picture we might think about? Editor: Fascinating. I’m seeing so much more in this simple-seeming toned paper now. Curator: And hopefully that humble piece of toned paper is now whispering secrets just to you!