Nieuwe zee der kunsten - 18 Possibly 1903 - 1912

Curator: Let’s take a look at “Nieuwe zee der kunsten - 18” attributed to Furuya Korin, possibly created between 1903 and 1912. It is a print on paper, using ink, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It feels austere. The color palette is muted, and yet those stark white vegetal designs almost dance across the surface. Curator: The "Nieuwe zee der kunsten" or "New Sea of Arts" points to a shift in artistic production. I see here not just an individual print, but part of a larger compilation. These collected prints were carefully bound and even dyed, which suggests the makers intended the volume itself to be viewed and appreciated. It transforms the role and context of these printed images. Editor: Those vegetative-like designs, dispersed sparsely around the calligraphy, do they refer to any specific flora? Perhaps, they are meant to evoke concepts of renewal and organic growth implied in the title, acting almost like subtle symbols of rebirth and new artistic movements. Curator: Exactly. Note how ink and paper – mass-produced materials in that period – became the tools for a kind of cultural record-keeping. We might even read them now as a conscious archiving of artistic change, distributed widely thanks to printing technologies. The binding is as crucial to its significance as the prints contained within, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely, the binding hints to that conscious curation you were talking about. The purple string binding it adds to that visual language, its meaning in connection with royalty or spirituality adds layers to what the entire piece tells. This is an aesthetic choice enriching the symbolic depth. Curator: I see a commentary on artistic accessibility through medium and intentional archiving through assembly. Editor: Yes, that interplay creates this intriguing, silent dialogue between art and symbol, prompting us to contemplate deeper meanings in simple forms.