Japanse waaiers 1856 - 1897

Curator: Henri-Charles Guérard created this interesting print entitled "Japanse waaiers," sometime between 1856 and 1897. It's a woodcut on aged paper, currently residing here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It has this peculiar antique feel, like a sampler someone made, only with glimpses into tiny, dreamy worlds, doesn’t it? There’s an almost faded quality, like looking at cherished postcards. Curator: It certainly possesses a sense of nostalgia. Guérard was, of course, deeply influenced by the Japonisme movement which impacted so many Western artists at the time. The work hints to the ukiyo-e style prints. Editor: Ukiyo-e, floating world indeed! These little scenes definitely feel like glimpses into a fleeting moment. It is charming. I especially love the ones that feel like stories compressed into miniature vignettes. It is interesting to look at the artist use of colour and the line. It feels like the woodcut's imperfections almost amplify this feeling of transience and fragility. Curator: It’s fascinating how these works facilitated the transfer of motifs and styles between cultures. Artists like Guérard adapted Japanese aesthetics, democratizing the printmaking tradition, reflecting both admiration and, inevitably, some amount of appropriation. Editor: Sure, it’s a cross-cultural mash-up, like the best kind of culinary fusion... though some might say a tad more theft-y, eh? Regardless, I enjoy how Guérard takes the Japanese inspiration and remixes it through a very personal lens. He gives the overall look a fresh, unexpected take, right? Curator: I think it raises essential questions about the circulation of ideas and the dynamics of cultural exchange, and of course the power structures behind artistic recognition in European culture at that time. Editor: I love getting lost in them; they're full of small details that pull you right in, perfect for a daydream escape. I would have never put the pieces of art in relation as you do... It almost feels too cold for such a sweet art piece... Curator: Well, looking at this, through both our eyes, it reminds us of art’s function to not just capture beauty, but to make people reflect. Editor: Right you are! To spark a wee chat about everything it can be, where it comes from and makes us reflect in the now.