Flock of Crows c. 1690 - 1700

Editor: So, this hanging scroll, "Flock of Crows" by Kusumi Morikage, was made around 1690-1700 using ink on paper. The crows and sparse branches feel so lonely against the expanse of blank space. How do you interpret this work? Curator: That feeling of loneliness is key. Traditional Japanese ink painting, or *sumi-e*, often uses emptiness – negative space – not as a void, but as a charged, active element. What relationships can we trace between the birds themselves and with the landscape or elements like trees? Is their placement purposeful? Consider what these visual choices say about hierarchies or societal constraints imposed upon the people during the Edo period. Editor: So, the vastness around the crows might represent social isolation? I was also thinking about migration; it feels like the crows could represent people moving between classes, as society during the Edo period began shifting. Curator: Exactly. It also might reflect ideas about the floating world (*ukiyo*) of impermanence that many sought refuge in through artistic expression. It's interesting to read this with ideas around labor or race. The Edo period had strict social mobility. Did artists feel pressure to use landscapes and wildlife as vehicles to avoid making direct social statements? Editor: I never considered art in Japan needing to be subversive to address issues in society, as in Europe or the Americas. Curator: Subtlety could be another form of power in such a tightly regulated society. Even the choice of crows as subject matter would be full of metaphor. Considering who held the privilege to depict crows makes you wonder, wouldn’t you say? Editor: That's such a great point. Thinking about it that way makes me see so much more depth in the painting. Curator: Me too!