The Actors Anegawa Shinshiro I and Segawa Kikunojo I c. 1733

Curator: Ah, yes, this woodblock print… it’s like stepping into a dream. Editor: It hits with such stark flatness, doesn’t it? Feels like an almost accidental artifact from the pleasure districts of Edo. Curator: Well said! What strikes me first about this piece by Torii Kiyoshige, dating back to around 1733, is its evocative atmosphere. This is "The Actors Anegawa Shinshiro I and Segawa Kikunojo I," housed right here at the Art Institute. Two kabuki actors frozen in a gesture, almost as if caught in the wings… Do you feel it, too? Editor: I notice how little the block printer seems to care about receding space. Forms stack on top of each other and yet the actors do pop. There's clearly skill involved but the raw materiality—the flatness of the print—it speaks volumes about prioritizing the immediate sale over some idea of high art. How fast could someone make this? And what would it buy them? Curator: Perhaps that immediate transaction is what makes it so powerfully human. The exaggerated lines, almost grotesque at times, draw our eye through to a shared, collective emotion... Like a moment distilled and shared amongst everyone. The choice to amplify key traits offers up insights into what the people found endearing and admirable at this period. Editor: Endearing and admirable or just simply, the hot seller of the month? Still, all those repetitive marks, layering ink on paper… I’m reminded of other forms of labor. There’s an echo of textiles or wallpaper even, of patterned silks sold right in those very theater districts depicted. The image seems aware that its own means of production link it inextricably to other types of work and exchange. Curator: I never quite looked at it that way but I think you're right, it feels woven. I guess seeing the threads connecting one thing to everything makes each mark and impression all the more impactful! The raw and refined become something far more interesting than their individual qualities. Editor: Agreed. So, it's back to the push-and-pull between surface and subject and to how deeply the materials embed any artwork within social context. It all gives me something to think about next time I look at similar artworks.