Actor (Old Man) Dancing c. 1770 - 1790

Curator: This is a woodblock print by Katsukawa Shunko entitled "Actor (Old Man) Dancing," currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's whimsical, isn't it? Almost like a joyful caricature. There's a lightness that defies his age, whatever age he's portraying. Curator: Kabuki theatre during the Edo period was rife with such roles. Prints like these served as promotional material, celebrity snapshots if you will, fueling the popularity of particular actors. Editor: The simplicity is deceptive. Look at the lines in his robe and the gentle curve of his smile. It captures a certain essence of performance, a fleeting moment of exuberance. Curator: Precisely. These actor prints, or yakusha-e, were instrumental in shaping public perception and immortalizing these performers within the cultural landscape. Editor: It makes me wonder what stories he's telling with that upward gaze and the elegant tilt of his stick. A whole world suggested in a single pose. Curator: Indeed, it invites a dialogue between the performer, the print, and the audience. Editor: A dance frozen in time, yet still full of movement. I find that quite beautiful.