Ueno Shinobazu Horserace Possibly 1890

Curator: This print, "Ueno Shinobazu Horserace" by Yoshu Chikanobu, presents a fascinating tableau. Editor: It strikes me as so stiff, formally posed, and self-consciously modern, even in the rendering of traditional materials. Curator: Note how the artist arranges forms in shallow space, emphasizing surface patterns and color contrasts; the textile patterns are particularly striking in relation to the figures. Editor: I'm curious about the process, though. The woodblock technique is visible in the lines, but how was this distributed and consumed? What sort of workshop dynamics were involved in its making? Curator: The composition neatly juxtaposes the modern Western attire of the women with the Imperial military attire of the figure presumed to be the Emperor. Editor: This image, while formally interesting, is very much a product of its time—a careful negotiation of tradition and modernity through distinct modes of labor and material representation. Curator: Yes, it’s in that tension between styles and the formal decisions that it becomes so revealing.