The actor Segawa Kikunojo and a young woman kicking a ball n.d.

This woodblock print of an actor and a young woman was created by Utagawa Toyokuni I in Japan. Vertical bamboo stalks create linear forms, against which we see two figures. Here, the composition uses the repetition of vertical lines to flatten the picture plane. This shifts our perception from traditional depth to an emphasis on surface and pattern. The fabrics worn by the figures display intricate designs that draw the eye across the surface rather than into an illusionistic space. Notice the simplified forms of the faces and bodies. Toyokuni isn't trying to create a realistic portrait, instead, he’s exploring how lines and colors interact to suggest form and presence. The cultural code here involves a recognition of the stylized representation of actors and the floating world they inhabited. This print challenges fixed notions of representation by inviting viewers to engage with surface aesthetics and question the boundaries between artifice and reality.