Daruma looking at his reflection c. 1767 - 1768

Curator: It's remarkable how a seemingly simple print, like this one, can contain so many layers. What do you see first when you look at "Daruma looking at his reflection," made around 1767-1768 by Suzuki Harunobu? Editor: Well, right away I notice the quality of the line – that continuous delicate line surrounding flat areas of colour and minimal tonal gradations—giving it a sense of immediacy. Curator: Exactly! Harunobu was a master of the ukiyo-e style, particularly known for his elegant figures and innovative use of color printing. This woodblock print, currently residing at the Art Institute of Chicago, captures a moment that is both serene and thought-provoking, don't you think? It makes me ponder the very act of seeing ourselves, warts and all! Editor: Yes, and considering its age, look at how meticulously each color field has been crafted. Woodblock printing is inherently an additive, and subtractive, process of revealing. We often forget the physical labor in producing this "high" art—from the cultivation of the paper and ink production, all the way to distribution to wider audiences. Curator: I love how the reflection acts almost as a doppelganger, forcing the central figure, Daruma, into self-confrontation! It's about that internal quest, really. A search mirrored on the surface of things. Does he see what he wants to see, I wonder? Or what is actually there? Editor: In this work, even Daruma’s distinctive orange robe reads less about religion, and more about material production. To think about these printed impressions as conduits to popular devotional imagery opens this piece to a different form of "reflection." Curator: Perhaps that doubling is the true mirror of reality. Each character we see is a version of what was or will be. Harunobu reminds us, playfully, that identity is rarely a fixed state, is it? Editor: Agreed! Looking at the method and labor makes the narrative itself shimmer differently—with the knowledge that it is made by, for, and out of social consumption. Curator: It truly makes you see the depth behind even what might seem a whimsical scene at first glance. A mirror reflecting back on more than just Daruma's face, but society itself. Editor: Yes, both in its production, image and continued impact across audiences! Thank you for sharing that personal glimpse with me today.