MAN STANDS WITH RT HAND UNDER CHIN 

Curator: Look at the stark lines and muted palette. Is it melancholic, perhaps? Editor: Indeed. This is a woodblock print entitled MAN STANDS WITH RT HAND UNDER CHIN by Katsukawa Shunko, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It captures a figure in contemplative pose. Prints such as these were not simply artistic statements, but also served as a crucial form of mass media. Curator: The composition is very interesting. The figure, while central, seems almost burdened by the weight of the accoutrements; his costume, the swords, the sake gourds above him. Editor: Katsukawa Shunko worked during a time when the Kabuki theater heavily influenced popular culture and imagery. This is likely a portrait of a Kabuki actor, and his props are significant markers of his character and status within the play. Curator: Yes, and notice how the artist uses line to define form, creating a tension between the flat picture plane and the suggestion of three-dimensionality. It’s quite masterful. Editor: I agree. Knowing the context gives depth, but the formal arrangement creates the mood. Curator: An interesting interplay between form and context! Editor: Precisely. Always.