New Year's: Ebisu Dancing c. 1790

Editor: This woodblock print, "New Year's: Ebisu Dancing" by Kitagawa Utamaro, seems to capture such a lively moment. The figure of Ebisu with the fish is particularly striking. What's your take on this piece? Curator: Utamaro has such a keen eye! Ebisu, one of the seven gods of good fortune, is rarely depicted dancing. Here, the artist cleverly merges celebration with the everyday, even a bit of the absurd, don't you think? The women seem rather…unimpressed? Editor: Now that you mention it, they do seem quite reserved! Maybe they've seen it all before? Curator: Perhaps! And maybe Utamaro is poking fun at the performative nature of tradition itself, turning it into a wonderfully off-kilter dance. Editor: I never considered it that way! It’s so much more than just a snapshot of a festival. Curator: Exactly! Art's always winking at us, isn't it?