Raspberries c. 19th century

Curator: Looking at this piece just evokes a feeling of quiet delight. Editor: Agreed, there's something immediately charming about it. We're looking at "Raspberries", a 19th-century Japanese ukiyo-e print by Kitagawa Saigyo, housed right here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The medium is listed as ink and watercolor on paper. Curator: It's deceptive in its simplicity, isn't it? It feels like a fleeting moment captured in ink—almost a visual haiku. The red of the berries sings against the muted greens, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely. And the way those colors were achieved – through the meticulous carving of separate woodblocks for each hue – is just staggering. Ukiyo-e prints like this were a booming commercial enterprise, connecting the craftsmanship of the artisan to a vast public. These weren't just art objects; they were products of labor. Curator: I love how the artist includes a lengthy calligraphic text alongside the botanic image; they dance together like partners in conversation. Do you think the text serves as some form of meditative contemplation of the plant, almost like an ode? Editor: The script is intrinsic to this artistic practice. It's less an 'ode' to berries as part of a larger commercial art of Ukiyo-e. The text’s physical presence—carved in reverse onto a block—adds another layer of technical complexity and creative possibility to it. Consider all that goes into producing one piece! Curator: Perhaps. It is still wonderful how this image makes the everyday seem sublime, or it draws you in and whispers, 'pause, be still.' But that's just me perhaps projecting, seeing in it what I need to see. Editor: And yet it is in our engagement with the materiality of art, that a deeper understanding is achieved. Whether mass produced or not. Curator: Well, this little print has given me much food for thought... and perhaps a sudden craving for raspberries. Editor: A fitting tribute to the material world manifested beautifully by Kitagawa Saigyo.