The Actor Hanaoka Miyako c. 1700

Curator: Oh, she's lovely. Melancholy, even. Editor: And radiant, simultaneously. We’re looking at "The Actor Hanaoka Miyako," a woodblock print made around 1700 by Torii Kiyonobu I, a master of the ukiyo-e style now at the Art Institute of Chicago. What strikes me is her stillness—almost like a carefully posed photograph. Curator: Precisely! Her expression is downcast, as if burdened by a hidden sorrow, yet surrounded by such beautiful ornamentation: flowers, a perfectly placed emblem overhead, intricate clothing with symbolic patterns on the outside and what appears to be clouds printed inside the kimono. A contradiction. Editor: This was the world of the kabuki theater. Hanaoka Miyako was not only a well-known performer but a pop icon of her day. Kiyonobu and others captured these performers offstage and through prints democratized access to celebrities. We're essentially seeing an early form of celebrity marketing. Curator: Well, marketing aside, there is something wonderfully vulnerable about her. The fact that she's not on stage allows us to look behind the performance of a "perfect woman." Do you see it, too? This almost palpable weight in her stance. Editor: I am sure the labor laws for actors were horrendous back then, and I can imagine this sadness comes from the strain of popularity at a young age. It’s interesting how this piece speaks volumes, not only about the individual but the complex relationship between performance, persona, and public consumption. The ukiyo-e prints are far more interesting to me when you recognize them as cultural documentation. Curator: Ah, so you read societal strain in her downcast expression. Fascinating. To me, this also says so much about our relationship to vulnerability as an essential, yet undervalued aspect of strength and personhood. The print becomes a silent ode to owning every layer of experience, both seen and unseen. Editor: On that somber yet poignant note, I believe we should let our listeners now absorb those thoughts. Curator: Yes. Go in peace.