The Ninth Month (Ku gatsu), from the series "Fashionable Twelve Months (Furyu junikagetsu)" c. 1793

Curator: This woodblock print is titled "The Ninth Month" or "Ku gatsu" from the series "Fashionable Twelve Months." It comes to us from the late 18th century, around 1793, created by Utagawa Toyokuni I. Editor: It’s…wistful. A lady is engrossed in reading, but her stillness feels less about concentration and more about… acceptance. The muted palette definitely contributes to that. Curator: Yes, Utagawa was a master of ukiyo-e prints, and this series is especially fascinating because it blends seasonal themes with depictions of fashionable women. She's clearly a woman of status based on her elegant garments. Editor: Garments which speak volumes! That intense black kimono against the delicate gold designs seems to illustrate the contrasts within her world—rigid tradition and bursts of fleeting beauty. Note, too, the butterflies! Are they merely decorative, or symbols of transformation? Curator: Butterflies in Japanese art often symbolize change, joy, or even the soul. Here, flitting about, they could suggest the ephemeral nature of beauty or the transient emotions stirred by the letter. The text of course would have spoken volumes to those familiar with popular plays and love poetry of the era. Editor: Absolutely! I keep returning to her hands – the gentle curve of her fingers holding the scroll. She seems poised between hope and resignation. It’s fascinating how gestures speak so profoundly in art, sometimes even more than a facial expression. What could possibly be written to elicit that expression? A decree of departure or acceptance perhaps? The symbols carry a bittersweet emotional weight that transcends the image itself. Curator: The scroll definitely captures the moment, freezing that in time to capture that complex mixture of elegance and feeling that is characteristic of Utagawa. Editor: A fleeting moment then turned into a story in one art piece, I almost feel as if I am invading a very intimate moment. What more is art for than this peek behind the curtain?