Young Lady by the Shore 1780 - 1795

Editor: Standing before us is "Young Lady by the Shore," a woodblock print made by Katsukawa Shunsho between 1780 and 1795. The print exudes a sense of calm contemplation. The lady seems almost lost in thought. What stands out to me is its materiality – the textures and layers inherent to the print-making process. How do you see this piece? Curator: Looking at the production of this Ukiyo-e print, I am immediately drawn to its place within a larger system of labor and consumption. Each element – the woodblock, the inks, the paper itself – points to specific industries and networks. Editor: Industries? That’s a new perspective. Curator: Consider the paper. What type is it, and where might it have been produced? What kind of labor was required to prepare it? Then, think about the woodblocks. The cutting would have required highly skilled artisans. This wasn’t a solitary artistic endeavor, but the product of a collective effort involving various specialized trades. Also the use of orientalist art could imply the social aspect of this image. Editor: That makes sense! I hadn't thought about all the hands involved in creating this image. It’s easy to just focus on the aesthetic beauty, but ignoring the economic structure is like erasing part of its history. So, the appreciation and acquisition of the print would also be relevant to a materialist reading? Curator: Precisely! These prints were not necessarily created for the elite. Ukiyo-e allowed a broader audience access to art. This shifts our perspective to consider the culture of consumption that enabled its proliferation. Understanding the distribution and how different demographics may have received the art. Editor: It is amazing how unpacking the materiality of this print reveals such a complex picture of society and production. I had a lot to think about now. Curator: Likewise.