Print 1786 - 1854

Curator: This print, simply titled “Print”, created sometime between 1786 and 1854 by Utagawa Kunisada, draws us into a decorative interior occupied by three figures. Editor: Immediately I’m struck by the detail – the layering of patterns! It’s like peering into a dream of blossoms and neatly stacked boxes. Does anyone else get a feeling that these women have secrets to share? Curator: The work certainly captures the *ukiyo-e* aesthetic of its time – “pictures of the floating world.” But it’s fascinating to consider that these seemingly idealized portrayals of beauty and leisure also represented a form of escapism for a society constrained by rigid social norms. The print is currently part of the collection here at The Met. Editor: Utagawa-san is tempting me to fantasize: maybe these women are geishas, and this tableau hints at hidden social rituals… or perhaps just unpacking gifts together! See how decorative that all looks, that might speak to its reception for that audience. Curator: Exactly. While they appear to be women from the pleasure quarters, Kunisada cleverly avoids overly erotic content, appealing to the censors and thus broadening his audience. And there’s an emphasis on the display of textiles, luxurious fabrics. Editor: Absolutely – it's a visual feast of textures. This layering must speak to aspirations of material wealth! I am also caught by that wisteria motif… it feels almost ghostly floating there behind our figures. Does that nod at all to nature spirits and supernatural folklore? Curator: You have a point there. Symbolism was, and is, intrinsic to Japanese art; elements like wisteria often had dual readings related to both love and longevity – subtly embedded narratives for those familiar with the codes. Kunisada definitely weaves complexity into apparent simplicity. Editor: Agreed. There’s an interplay between the outward display of beauty and a perhaps suppressed internal world – it is something that keeps drawing my eye deeper, in an aesthetic experience, but also as some form of emotional riddle, for each woman, so distinctly posed. Curator: It's an interplay of performance and concealed depths—a narrative suspended in this decorative shell! Editor: Indeed, such layering offers clues into our appreciation – this “Print” certainly is more than just what we see on its patterned surface.