Cat and Kittens 

Curator: Kiyoshi Saito's woodblock print, titled "Cat and Kittens," presents a scene of maternal intimacy with an interesting interplay of shapes. What immediately strikes you about it? Editor: There's a comforting mood. It's a scene of domesticity that also hints at the raw reality of animal life. The abstract backdrop gives it this kind of dreamy folk quality too, as if remembering childhood pets. Curator: Right, and it's Saito's command of the woodblock print medium that is responsible for much of that simplicity. Think about the layers of labour here; the harvesting of trees, milling and shaping the wood, and finally the intensive and repetitive processes of carving and printing to achieve this particular flattened depth. It's a powerful demonstration of how craft practices can deliver deceptively powerful outcomes. Editor: Absolutely. There's a focus on a matriarchal reading. Notice how the black cat hovers over her two differently colored kittens: the work's attention to their generational caretaking suggests the crucial intersectional roles gender, species, and nurture have within Japanese art and society. Curator: Good point about nurture. We see it in the contrast of textures, as well. The fluid background lines accentuate the maternal scene, yet their hard linearity also contrasts it: nature provides, but can be stark in doing so. And those flat planes of black and rusty brown create an incredible feeling of protection... Editor: Definitely—protection as survival, right? With the monochromatic grain background, the social hierarchy becomes clearer: that's why I am drawn to that compositional placement: we look down at the figures in care, seeing their vulnerability and celebrating it all at once. Curator: So beautifully stated. And as the product of what was certainly intensive manual labour on Saito’s part, it resonates with how all mothering work tends to be consistently undervalued across all contexts. Editor: I think you have helped me to understand even more its nuanced value and complexity. What a truly layered, compelling work of art. Curator: Agreed. Hopefully, this will help our listeners find even deeper value in Saito’s moving print.