Actor Otani Hiroji AS A SERVANT ON HORSEBACK

Curator: Katsukawa Shunko's print depicts actor Otani Hiroji as a servant on horseback. Its graphic economy and compressed pictorial space are compelling. Editor: He looks utterly bored stiff, doesn't he? I get the feeling he'd rather be anywhere else but on that poor red horse. Curator: The actor’s weary posture and facial expression certainly convey a sense of ennui. Note how the artist has used line and flat planes of color to define form and space. Editor: Even the horse seems to have adopted the same "I can't be bothered" pose. The composition, with its vertical emphasis, really adds to that sense of weary downward pull. Curator: A fascinating interplay of figuration and abstraction. I appreciate the visual system at play, while you connect with the palpable sense of weariness it evokes. Editor: Exactly. It reminds me that sometimes, even in art, feeling is everything.