Brotherhood of the Three Kingdoms 1832

Editor: This print, "Brotherhood of the Three Kingdoms," was created by Utagawa Kunisada in 1832. It's a woodblock print currently at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. There’s something theatrical about this, like a scene from a play frozen in time. The colours are vibrant and the figures are captivating. What stands out to you? Curator: Well, right away I feel this sense of shared history and obligation that I can only assume are integral to the story. These three men, bound together in the glow of, not just shared circumstance, but the shared destiny and oath I suspect, are each bringing something slightly different to this communion. The woodblock method itself feels right, a technique so connected to telling stories over and over again that somehow the act of its making almost contributes its own weight and momentum to the brotherhood of these men. What do you think the feast represents? Editor: I suppose the feast acts as a symbol of their alliance, of shared commitment. It seems like a setting of the brotherhood. Are these figures specifically important characters from a known tale, or is this Kunisada just exploring an imaginary union? Curator: Ah, they are indeed figures from the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", a classic Chinese text! Think Game of Thrones but, you know, with ancient warriors and deeper oaths. This print doesn't just show us a brotherhood, it drops us into the middle of a cultural myth, mediated by ukiyo-e style! See how he uses these intense colours to bring forth not just personality but place! Editor: That's fascinating! Knowing the literary connection deepens the narrative. I now realize this isn't merely a depiction of three individuals, but a symbolic presentation. Curator: Absolutely. Art’s funny, innit? Give something to us so up front, then buries so much of its own meaning to discover later. But also think for a second -- even if the literary work was lost, this striking composition creates its own emotional gravity.