Actors Nakajima Wadaemon as Bōdara Chōzaemon, and Nakamura Konozō as Gon of the Kanagawa-ya from the Play "Katakiuchi Noriai-Banashi" (Kiri-za) Possibly 1794 - 1795

Curator: Looking at this print, there's an immediate sense of dramatic tension. The figures are so close, their expressions caught mid-thought. Editor: Indeed, the artist Tōshūsai Sharaku masterfully captures the personas of actors Nakajima Wadaemon and Nakamura Konozō in this woodblock print, portraying them in the play "Katakiuchi Noriai-Banashi". Curator: It’s fascinating how Sharaku isolates these figures. The almost clinical depiction of their features reveals the social artifice of Kabuki theatre, while speaking to wider themes of gender, performance, and identity. Editor: The exaggerated features certainly highlight the artifice, and the bold lines give the print a powerful presence, reinforcing the public role of these actors within the theatrical landscape. Curator: Thinking about today's celebrity culture, it makes you wonder about the construction of fame and the gaze projected onto performers. Editor: Precisely, it allows a moment to look into the changing dynamics of popularity.