Woman After the Bath (Yokugo no onna) Possibly 1920 - 1929

Curator: Hashiguchi Goyo's "Woman After the Bath," held at the Harvard Art Museums, strikes me as intensely intimate. The cool blues and reds against her skin create this vulnerable, almost melancholic mood. Editor: Absolutely. It's a quiet piece. These post-bath images historically place women in highly vulnerable positions, especially within the male gaze. Do you get a sense of agency here? Curator: I think so. Her gaze is internal, reflective. It's not about our perspective, but hers. It makes me wonder about the rituals of her daily life. Editor: Right, the ritual aspect is key. How bathing becomes more than cleansing—a moment to contemplate social norms, the pressures on women... Curator: Perhaps the art lies in the way it captures that fleeting moment of introspection. The artist found her in the instant between public presentation and private thoughts. Editor: Precisely, and it urges us to consider what those private thoughts might entail, given her position in society. It's an invitation to contemplate resilience.