Shijo-schilderingen album 1914

Curator: Take a moment to observe the 'Shijo-schilderingen album,' created in 1914 by Suzuki Shōnen. It’s held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Well, right away, I’m getting a feeling of quiet elegance. It's subdued but richly patterned; the tones are really lovely—earthy, almost mossy. Is that a textile? Curator: It is indeed. This work beautifully blends medium and motif, creating an almost hypnotic surface of rippling sketches. I wonder about its purpose as it teeters on the line of design. Editor: Hypnotic is the word! Look at how the natural stone patterns are subtly imprinted. It makes you think about how it was made, right? The labor that goes into creating that woodcut effect. Is it foil embossing perhaps? What kind of material are they imprinting onto? Curator: Absolutely. And it challenges the art/craft hierarchy doesn't it? What stories were intended? Organic forms intertwine, offering a sense of depth with this layered pattern that invites a closer inspection—it's got the appeal of an old engraving too! Editor: Old engraving for sure! But those cloud-like shapes, that's quintessential Asian art, isn’t it? The consumption side of things—this probably was destined for a well-to-do client. Who was the customer for this organic repetition? I feel there’s a real social history embedded within it. Curator: It certainly resonates with broader aesthetic traditions. Consider how nature is interpreted here; a distilled, almost abstracted, expression of something fundamental, it feels both ancient and strangely contemporary. Editor: Definitely. Thinking about where design, material, and production meet here… gives the artwork new dimensions and maybe deeper meanings than purely an aesthetic appreciation allows. Curator: A testament to how much the material, the touch, and the historical framework elevate an otherwise modest piece of cloth. Thanks, that truly opened a new way to appreciate what is in front of us! Editor: Likewise! It makes me want to start a project and explore possibilities within my own workspace. I wonder about making… Bye!