Mimasu Gennosuke I als Nuregami Chôgorô 1840 - 1843

Editor: Here we have “Mimasu Gennosuke I as Nuregami Chōgorō”, a woodblock print by Utagawa Sadamasu, dating from around 1840. It's housed at the Rijksmuseum, and there’s something really intriguing about the character's gaze, almost melancholic. It feels very stylized and, at the same time, deeply human. What jumps out at you when you look at this print? Curator: Ah, yes, the enigmatic allure of Ukiyo-e. It pulls you in, doesn't it? I think the power of this piece rests in that fascinating tension you noticed—between artifice and genuine emotion. Look closely. He’s portraying a specific role. We know this. It’s like catching an actor backstage between scenes, when they are partly themselves and partly the character they embody, and this is why the actor portrait transcends simple caricature. What does that tension spark in *your* imagination? Editor: That makes total sense. Thinking about the role within the portrait – I’m wondering about the cultural context. What sort of figure was Nuregami Chōgorō? Curator: Good question! Knowing that unlocks so much. Nuregami Chōgorō was a popular figure in Kabuki theater, often portrayed as a charming rogue, or maybe a conflicted hero. This print is really more about capturing the *actor* Mimasu Gennosuke inhabiting the *character*! Notice how the rich details of his kimono point to that inherent drama, reflecting both the high status of the actor and a hint of the roguish role he performs on stage. It’s a multi-layered illusion, isn’t it? Editor: Absolutely! It's like seeing two people in one. It's got me thinking about how portraiture can reveal so much more than just a likeness. Curator: Precisely! And isn't that the delicious trick of art? It's never *just* what it seems. We look and we discover and, hopefully, we allow it to tickle something new inside of us, like a hidden thought yearning to escape.