The Actor Onoe Matsusuke c. 18th century

Curator: Here we have a portrait from around the 18th century, Katsukawa Shunsen's woodblock print "The Actor Onoe Matsusuke," currently held at The Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: The image immediately gives me a feeling of stillness, of someone caught in a moment of contemplation. I am struck by how the green and ochre pigments interact to give the portrait such weight and poise. Curator: The materiality of this ukiyo-e print really showcases the labour-intensive process from block carving to careful inking and printing. Note the flat planes of colour. This was less about naturalism and more about capturing the essence and status of the subject. Consider, too, the skill involved in carving the text, clearly visible on the scroll held in the actor’s hand. Editor: Absolutely. The symbols are essential; the fan, the robes, the text, and even the actor’s positioning relative to that ambiguous window create a very specific narrative. Onoe Matsusuke clearly wanted to convey something particular to his audience. I wonder if we can tell which role he’s representing. Is the artist presenting an actual moment of a real actor, or do these symbols carry the cultural memory of that persona and their stories, that are now imbued into this image. Curator: Examining the prints' distribution would tell us more about the social and economic context in which it was created. Who purchased it, and how did they consume this image? This coloured woodblock would have been one of many for the masses. Was it a souvenir or collected to communicate the viewer's own interests? Editor: Yes, precisely. So much is communicated in these visual languages! Thank you. Curator: A pleasure. These artistic decisions about the physical creation and the distribution greatly influenced how this image was, and still is, interpreted.