Dandelions for the New Year c. 19th century

Curator: Here we have "Dandelions for the New Year," attributed to Katsushika Hokusai, a print residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's fascinating; a certain melancholy hangs about it. The delicate lines, the almost ghostly dandelions... Curator: Absolutely. I see it as a quiet reflection on societal expectations placed on women in Edo-period Japan, especially within the context of domestic craft. The dandelions themselves can be seen as a metaphor for resilience and the quiet strength found in everyday life. Editor: The craftsmanship speaks to me. Look at the woodblock printing technique, the layering of colors to create such subtle tones. The arrangement of objects—bowl, tweezers, brush—feels almost like a study of domestic tools and their inherent beauty. Curator: Precisely! It's a dialogue between high art and the everyday objects that sustained life. Perhaps it even comments on the consumption of art itself. Editor: It makes me consider how the artist’s labor is embedded in each print, and how the materials used reflect a specific moment in social history. Curator: Exactly. It's a visual poem about endurance, about finding beauty and strength in the most ordinary of places. Editor: Indeed, a compelling testament to the value we place on both the object and the human touch.