Actor Ogawa Tsuneyo in a Female Role c. 1770 - 1790

Katsukawa Shunkō created this woodblock print of the actor Ogawa Tsuneyo, sometime before 1812. Woodblock printing, or *ukiyo-e*, was a complex, collaborative process involving the artist, block carver, printer, and publisher. The success of *ukiyo-e* rested on clean lines, careful registration of colors, and the surface effects of the paper. Look closely, and you can see how the lines define the actor’s pose and the patterns of his kimono. Each color was printed from a separate block, demanding skilled labor. The publisher was responsible for coordinating and distributing these prints, making *ukiyo-e* a commercial venture tied to the burgeoning urban culture of Edo-period Japan. Prints like these democratized art. By understanding the means of production, we see beyond the image and appreciate the cultural and economic forces at play. The beauty here is inseparable from the labor and context that brought it into being.