Men and Women in Court Costume Dancing 19th century

Curator: Here we have Kubo Shunman's 19th-century print, "Men and Women in Court Costume Dancing," currently residing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Oh, look at this! I’m getting a sense of swirling fabrics, a tipsy, dreamlike quality. Everyone seems suspended between worlds. Curator: Indeed, it captures a moment of revelry within the Japanese court. Note the carefully delineated patterns on the costumes and how those textile depictions communicate social status. How does that aspect of their clothing inform the viewer of a person's standing, and in contrast, the body's positioning as a form of disarray or even lack of respect, indicate a state of inebriation? Editor: Absolutely, it's this incredible tension! The print teases with rigid hierarchies made human, maybe even playfully rebellious. I mean, that one fellow pointing looks like he's about to start some trouble, doesn't he? It's so subtly cheeky. Curator: Consider, also, the way in which gender roles might play out in this image. How are women positioned versus men? Are they observers or equal participants? How does Ukiyo-e, as a genre, itself comment on class and leisure within a strict socio-economic order? Editor: Well, they are set up high almost as overseers to what looks like a stage with tipsy, happy people. In a world so prescribed with dos and don'ts the loose gestures look liberating but temporary; like they are dancing away time until time comes back. And wow, there's even some poetic text there. Is that commenting on their moves? Or are we about to read a menu of sake? Curator: While that text enhances the print's overall aesthetic and symbolic weight, adding layers of meaning about the scene, the social ritual of the Japanese court, its members and hierarchy, and these men and women participating or not in equal footing and voice, is what most resonates. It asks what the social dynamics within traditional hierarchies truly entail. Editor: Yes, what's behind closed doors, painted silks, and carefully brushed calligraphy. A night with good drinks in great company. And for that alone, it deserves our attention and perhaps another viewing… Curator: I concur, another visit promises even further insight and reflection.