Beauty representing winter, from an untitled series of beauties representing the four seasons c. 1818 - 1830

Utagawa Kuniyasu created this woodblock print depicting a beauty representing winter as part of a series on the four seasons. Note the presence of the cat and the screen with the blind man. The motif of the cat, often a symbol of domesticity and comfort, is juxtaposed here with the stark winter scene depicted on the screen behind the woman. Cats appear across cultures and eras in art and symbolism. The cat has been a symbol of independence, and mystery, but here it perhaps serves to humanize and soften the harshness of winter. The screen with the blind man becomes a symbol for a loss of vitality. In the collective memory, winter is often associated with decline. The image suggests a deeper psychological tension between the desire for warmth and comfort and the inevitable presence of cold and hardship. We are left to ponder the cyclical nature of seasons.