Black and White Monkeys Trying to Catch the Moon c. 1683

Editor: This is Kano Tsunenobu's "Black and White Monkeys Trying to Catch the Moon," created sometime between 1636 and 1713. The scene feels playful, almost like a fable. What do you make of this pursuit, this reaching for the unattainable? Curator: It’s interesting, isn't it? There's a Zen-like quality to it. It suggests the futility of grasping at illusions, the moon's reflection rather than the moon itself. They are beautiful renderings of monkeys and, perhaps, human nature. A question: Do you see them succeeding, or is there something else? Editor: I like that idea. It's less about success and more about the trying. Curator: Precisely. The joy is in the reaching. Editor: I never thought about art that way. Thanks!