Print 1778 - 1798

Curator: Let's turn our attention to a woodblock print dating from the late 18th century, created by Torii Kiyonaga, often simply titled "Print," and currently residing here at the Met. Editor: It strikes me as possessing a surprisingly modern feel, despite its age. There's a delicacy, a lightness in the figures that’s very appealing. Curator: Kiyonaga's work certainly reflects a mature approach to the Ukiyo-e tradition. Note how he manipulates line and form. The composition is meticulously arranged. Editor: But what does that arrangement signify? I see four figures, women primarily, in what seems like a domestic space – are we seeing an aspirational image of Edo-period womanhood? Who were these women intended for, and what role does class play in that dynamic? The one with the child looks particularly careworn, less idealized than the other two. Curator: Interesting point about class and lived experience. Though rendered using traditional techniques, Kiyonaga did seem committed to a kind of refined realism, elevating the everyday activities of courtesans and geishas to high art, with subtle but significant use of the conventions and limitations inherent in the Ukiyo-e woodblock print format. Editor: Right, Ukiyo-e was, at its heart, art for the masses. What kind of access would women have had to these kinds of depictions of themselves and others? What was Kiyonaga trying to express? His choice of subject invites critical questions about the objectification and fetishization of female beauty within the male gaze and economic system of that era. Curator: Indeed. The lines of inquiry these works provoke—regardless of their original purpose—make close attention rewarding still, centuries on. Editor: Ultimately, this piece is both a beautiful object and a mirror reflecting the complexities of its time, which demands our ongoing interrogation.