Album of Flowers and the Moon (Kagetsu jō 花月帖) 1836

Curator: Kawamura Kibo's "Album of Flowers and the Moon," created in 1836, is a striking example of ukiyo-e art now residing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The image, a woodcut printed in ink, immediately strikes me as evocative of theatrical tension. What's your take? Editor: It's a rather stark composition. The limited tonal range creates an atmosphere of restraint. Note how the artist plays with positive and negative space, defining figures and forms with what's absent as much as what's present. Curator: That's interesting, considering the medium is a woodcut; there is a reduction and starkness to this presentation, although that's inherent to the art. What you read as theatrical tension might have to do with a universal reading of "attack" – it brings out primordial emotions of fighting. It looks a scene with archetypal roots, distilled through the visual vocabulary of ukiyo-e. Editor: Perhaps, but consider the circular frame around the figures—a clever compositional device. The circle focuses our attention while also creating a sense of detachment, like viewing a performance through a porthole. The bamboo to the side creates a kind of picture frame, while adding a diagonal axis against the geometric grid. Curator: The circle definitely works as a mirror, echoing moon motifs in this series' title. Also consider how, for an artist working in this genre, visual codes of Kabuki drama would have been available: poses, clothing conventions. Perhaps this echoes scenes that would resonate with contemporary viewers in very particular ways. Editor: Yes, there is the detail in the patterning, as well as use of bamboo as an indication of location that's certainly noteworthy.. Curator: Overall, I think, this small print unlocks much. Editor: Indeed. A seemingly simple composition that actually offers a rich experience.