New Style of Linked Verse (Renga shinshiki) Possibly 1568 - 1615

Curator: This is "New Style of Linked Verse" by Dōchō, held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The brushstrokes have a real energy. It feels both practiced and spontaneous, and intimate, due to its small size. Curator: Indeed. Linked verse, or renga, was a popular form of collaborative poetry. The materials themselves – paper, ink, brush – were integral to the creative process, and the final presentation would have been important. Editor: It’s fascinating to consider how the social dynamics of the group influenced the poem’s creation and reception. Were there power dynamics at play? Did the setting of the reading shape its meaning? Curator: Absolutely. The consumption of materials informs our understanding of artistic communities at the time. Editor: Seeing this work certainly opens up questions about the value placed on collaborative art forms versus individual expression throughout history. Curator: It makes one think about the role of these processes within the cultural landscape.