Shoki riding a shishi lion 

Editor: Okay, next up we have "Shoki riding a shishi lion," possibly by Hokusai, rendered in ink and color on what seems to be paper. It's got this… dynamic energy. Like a fever dream in ancient Japan, a splash of bold heroism clashing with the fantastically grotesque. What am I missing here? How do you read it? Curator: Oh, it's so much more than it appears, isn’t it? Shoki, the demon queller, atop a mythical shishi – it's a visual power ballad! Look at the lines, the swirling chaos tamed by a sense of humor. Hokusai isn't just depicting a scene; he’s winking at us. I'd say Hokusai's more playful here than, say, deeply spiritual, don’t you think? Does it strike you as devotional art? Editor: Playful is a good way to put it, even if the subject matter, demon quelling, sounds intense. The shishi’s sort of… cute? In a monstrous way? Curator: Exactly! Hokusai's blending the sacred and the silly. Notice how he emphasizes the wild mane of the lion while also adding almost comical details. It’s about balance. Finding joy in the face of…well, demons! What lessons might we glean from that balance, do you think? Editor: So, less 'warrior on a mission' and more 'hero with a sense of irony'? I didn't really consider that. Curator: It's both! Life is contradictory. Art should be, too. Editor: I guess I get caught up in surface readings sometimes and miss that. Thanks! Curator: It’s our natural human flaw to assume one reading suffices – keeps us sane, or seemingly so. Remember, let the work reveal its secrets slowly, as you reveal your own to yourself!