Print 1786 - 1854

This color woodblock print was created by Utagawa Kunisada in nineteenth-century Japan. The scene teems with motifs ripe with symbolic meaning. Take, for instance, the floral patterns adorning the kimonos. Blossoms are commonly understood as symbols of transience and the ephemeral nature of beauty in Japanese art. We also find a fan, an object that transcends its practical function, becoming a potent symbol in social and theatrical contexts. In the distant past, similar objects have acted as a device for concealment and revelation. Think of the veils in ancient Roman art. These symbols mirror not just aesthetics but also deeper psychological currents. They reveal a delicate balance between visibility and obscurity, reflecting our own complex desires to conceal and reveal. These symbols, like cultural echoes, remind us that the human experience is timeless.