Ono no Komachi from the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets (Hyakunin isshu) c. 1767 - 1768

Editor: This woodblock print, "Ono no Komachi from the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets" by Suzuki Harunobu, has such a delicate, wistful mood. What draws your eye, what do you see in this piece? Curator: The layering, definitely the layering. Harunobu uses it to suggest a dreamlike separation between Komachi and the world. I also sense a melancholy, perhaps Komachi reflecting on lost love. Notice the poem calligraphy floating above her. Does that suggest anything to you? Editor: Perhaps her thoughts are as ephemeral as cherry blossoms on the water. Thanks for pointing out the layering, I hadn’t quite noticed it. Curator: It's all about peeling back the layers, right? Both in the art and in ourselves.