Stencil for Illustrated Don Quixote (Ehon Don Kihōte) Possibly 1936

Curator: Here we have "Stencil for Illustrated Don Quixote (Ehon Don Kihōte)" by Serizawa Keisuke, currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Immediately, I sense a moodiness, a kind of weathered parchment whispering tales of old adventures, or perhaps just the scent of burnt umber. Curator: The artist has employed a resist-dyeing technique, katazome, achieving the text in striking contrast against the dark ground. It reads as if something is almost being obscured. Editor: There's a beautiful tension between the crisp white script and the almost aggressively stained texture—like a memory trying to surface from a murky dream. Does the text itself hint at Quixote's idealism clashing with reality? Curator: Precisely. The visual structure mirrors that thematic conflict, with its interplay of clarity and obfuscation. Editor: It's like stumbling upon a fragment of a long-lost, beautifully distressed book. Curator: Indeed. Keisuke's work uses form to truly capture the spirit of Cervantes’ masterpiece. Editor: A powerful reminder of how art can speak across centuries.