Dragon in a Rainy Night c. 18th century

Curator: This hanging scroll, rendered in ink on paper, is attributed to Nagasawa Rosetsu, dating back to the 18th century. Its title? "Dragon in a Rainy Night." Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by its ethereal quality. It's almost monochrome, with these incredibly soft washes of ink that evoke a very specific mood... a sense of quiet power, almost like a dream. Curator: The context here is important. Rosetsu was a pivotal figure in Japanese art of that era, known for his bold and eccentric style. It's interesting how his training under Maruyama Okyo pushed him to become a very unconventional artist. Editor: Unconventional indeed. I see the dragon, of course, emerging faintly against a large moon, but what I find fascinating is how Rosetsu seems to prioritize atmosphere over explicit representation. Dragons traditionally symbolize power and good fortune, and you usually see them depicted heroically and powerfully, but there is a lot of uncertainty and mysteriousness here instead. Curator: This would be an unusual, perhaps even unsettling, take for many viewing audiences at the time. The dragon, which typically holds so much socio-political symbolism as an expression of imperial power, has here been rendered quite muted. His style can be interpreted as challenging, and even inverting, those institutions. Editor: Right, I wouldn’t necessarily associate that with traditional power structures. It evokes something much more mysterious— perhaps a psychological depth. The rain blurs the lines, turning something formidable into something much more ambiguous, perhaps even melancholic. You know, dragons are often guardians of hidden knowledge, so perhaps the rain signifies the obscuring of those secrets. Curator: Absolutely. That symbolic potential is definitely there. It makes us rethink not just the imagery but also Rosetsu's position in society as an artist daring to operate at the fringes of those powerful structures. Editor: I appreciate how this scroll makes us slow down and consider multiple layers – both what is presented and what might remain hidden or just beyond our grasp. Curator: Agreed. Rosetsu gives us much to consider beyond a literal representation of a dragon.