Three Women Performing Early Morning Chores (in the Year of the Dragon, 1796) Possibly 1796

Curator: This is Tawaraya Sōri’s “Three Women Performing Early Morning Chores (in the Year of the Dragon, 1796),” a delicate woodblock print. Editor: It feels so quiet, almost a whisper of a scene. The grayscale tones really emphasize the soft, everyday routine. Curator: Exactly, and consider the labor: the woodblock carving, the precise registration of color. Each print a product of many hands, though we often only credit the artist. Editor: I see them caught in their labor, not heroic, not idealized, but simply there. How many unnoticed mornings are captured in this one moment? Curator: It's a beautiful testament to those unseen labors, and how the beauty of art can make us see them. Editor: Yes. It's a nice reminder to appreciate the small moments.