Acteurs in het Noh theaterstuk Eboshiori 1926

This diptych by Tsukioka Kôgyo depicts actors from the Noh theatre piece Eboshiori, though I wonder what it must have been like to see the performance itself! In both panels, the actors hold their swords in what must be carefully choreographed movements. One raises his sword to the sky, the other holds it out in front of him, ready to strike. They are both posed, but the poses are so different. The patterns and colors are incredible. Notice how the artist repeats and varies them. The green and blue robes of the first actor are so busy, in contrast to the elegant, more simplified robe of the second. And above them, the cloud or tree branches form a soft haze. I wonder if Kôgyo was thinking about the history of Noh theatre when they made this, and how their rendering might be received by future generations. That's the funny thing about art, right? It’s always in conversation with the past and future!