Hoofdstuk 34 1851 - 1853

Curator: Immediately, I’m struck by the strange sense of compressed space here. It's almost dreamlike, isn't it? Editor: It certainly is. What we’re looking at is “Chapter 34,” a woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada, created between 1851 and 1853. It’s part of the Rijksmuseum's collection. Curator: That makes sense given the landscape and domestic space coexisting. Look at the layers, how they flatten everything out. Are those rainbow mountains? And the warrior on horseback doesn’t seem at all surprised by it. It’s like he's ridden straight into a theatre set! Editor: Kunisada was a leading artist of ukiyo-e prints during the Edo period, a time when socio-political constraints pushed art toward theaters and the ‘floating world.’ His work often merged portraits of actors, scenes from popular dramas, and landscapes in just this manner. The rigid formalism of the ruling class allowed for these types of expressions that gave vent to everyday pleasures. Curator: And there’s something playful, or maybe gently melancholic, in the way those women are posed on the balcony. Almost frozen, like figures on a porcelain vase. Are they expecting him, or saying goodbye? It's a curious blend of the intimate and the performative, isn't it? I could muse on it for hours, really. Editor: Absolutely. Ukiyo-e prints weren’t simply decorative; they were key instruments in shaping public culture and creating trends around fashion, performance, and celebrity. What appears delicate here speaks to powerful networks. Curator: You've nudged me in the right direction. The print is gorgeous, with layers upon layers of narrative, social history, and dreamy fancy. Kunisada certainly packed it all in. Editor: And hopefully given everyone food for thought! Thanks for offering that perspective, I think that enriches the experience.