Roosters 1795

Curator: The sheer starkness grabs you first, doesn’t it? Like a monochrome dream, or maybe a rooster’s grumpy morning glare translated onto paper. Editor: Absolutely, there is an assertive stillness that is hard to deny. We’re looking at “Roosters,” created around 1795 by Itō Jakuchū. It is an ink-on-paper painting currently housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Curator: Jakuchū! Of course. He of the meticulous eye and the wildly imaginative soul. You feel that intensity here, somehow. It’s almost aggressively present, but in the quietest way possible. Editor: Well, in many cultures, the rooster represents courage, reliability, even male virility, and you definitely sense that proud spirit in the way Jakuchū renders the bird’s form. Notice the detail in the plumage. Each stroke brings that feathery texture to life. It's almost photorealistic in its rendering of light and shadow. Curator: See, but that’s the thing, isn’t it? It is "almost" photorealistic, but then those tail feathers are like abstract calligraphy. A dance between observation and… well, I’m going to say rooster soul. Editor: A perfect marriage, perhaps, of East and West, realism and expressionism. The rooster as a symbol also crosses cultures, embodying vigilance, assertiveness, a declaration of one's presence. I notice that, traditionally, roosters can also carry meanings of pride or arrogance, potentially highlighting certain traits societies both value and question. Curator: True, a double edged symbol indeed! There's something subtly subversive here too. The lack of background… the way he fills the space… It is more than a study of form, or animal portraiture. Jakuchū makes it a declaration. Editor: And by reducing it to stark monochrome, he invites us to strip away any preconceptions. It’s a surprisingly confrontational artwork. It's an exercise in what's essential. A distilled 'rooster-ness,' if you will. Curator: I think he really knew these birds and felt this deep empathy. In that sense, perhaps the picture invites each of us to become more authentic to ourselves. Editor: What an apt idea – a daily declaration, maybe even an appreciation for the everyday as well as the marvelous detail.