Vissen en schelpen verzamelen bij laag water 1788 - 1792

Editor: We are looking at "Vissen en schelpen verzamelen bij laag water" – "Collecting Fish and Shells at Low Tide"– a woodblock print from 1788-1792 by Utagawa Toyokuni I, on display at the Rijksmuseum. What strikes me is the strong contrast between the delicate figures of the women and the very dark, almost blocky depiction of the water. What do you see in this piece, and how might we interpret this contrast? Curator: Observe how Toyokuni’s composition unfolds: the linear precision of the receding trees and figures against the flatness of the water, divided into blocks, evokes a certain depth, doesn’t it? Note too how he distributes color – predominantly the strong blacks and reds, echoed and inverted between the women's kimonos, creating a dynamic visual interplay. Does this layering suggest to you a kind of mirroring, perhaps exploring a dialectic of beauty and artifice, of foreground and background? Editor: I hadn't thought about the inversion of color as a form of mirroring before, but it makes sense given the composition! Is this attention to color typical for works of this time period? Curator: Certainly. Japanese prints like this one relied on masterful carving and printing techniques to achieve precise color registration. However, the formal arrangement here invites a meditation beyond just aesthetic delight. The interaction of color and form prompts consideration about the relationship between observation, representation, and the symbolic order they imply, doesn't it? Editor: It does. Seeing this print purely as a formal exercise highlights how Toyokuni's work invites complex reflections through what may at first seem like a simple landscape. Thanks! Curator: Precisely. By emphasizing the purely visual, the artwork invites a much more philosophical viewing.