Painting the Eyes on a Snow Rabbit 1770 - 1790

Curator: Isoda Koryūsai’s "Painting the Eyes on a Snow Rabbit," created around 1770-1790. It’s a tempera and watercolor painting on toned paper, currently residing at The Met. It depicts women inside, with a winter scene through the window. Editor: It's delicate and charming, don’t you think? With those beautiful, muted colors, it almost feels like a secret world, carefully observed. The women and child inside look occupied with domestic activities. What layers do you see at play in this piece? Curator: This artwork opens up fascinating dialogues about the representation of women and their roles within 18th-century Japanese society, don't you think? Consider the social constraints placed upon women of that era. How do you interpret the positioning of these figures within a domestic space, contrasted against the external, natural world? Editor: I hadn’t really thought of it in terms of social constraints. I was focused on the tranquil, almost dreamlike quality of the scene. It hadn’t occurred to me to consider those power dynamics. Curator: Precisely! Ukiyo-e, while often celebrated for its beauty, also presents complex representations of gender and social hierarchies. What is the power dynamic between these figures? How might contemporary feminist theory help us re-evaluate it? Editor: Now that you point that out, it’s striking how the painting, at first glance serene, hints at deeper issues surrounding gender and societal expectations. I see how the domestic space isn’t just a safe haven; it's a stage for the performance of gender roles. I wouldn’t have picked that up at all on my own. Curator: Art allows us to ask those difficult questions. And, hopefully, move toward challenging those inherited norms. Editor: I agree. Seeing it this way makes the work even more fascinating and layered, inviting more challenging questions than I first imagined. Thank you.