Two 1923

Curator: Immediately, what grabs me is the subject’s expression. A hint of a sneer, perhaps? It definitely feels confrontational. Editor: Yes, that intensity is something, isn't it? The artist, Yoshikawa Kanpo, made this woodblock print, called "Two", in 1923. Curator: 1923. So, squarely in the Taisho era, a period of both great social change and also, a longing for tradition. This is very present in the way he draws from the well of Ukiyo-e, but gives it a more modern, psychological twist. I see that tension, that duality, immediately. Editor: The caricature feels biting, almost cynical. The exaggeration in the brow, the mouth...it really highlights a feeling of disapproval. There is no softness. Is that a key quality of Ukiyo-e portraiture, would you say? This controlled aggression. Curator: It is less about aggression, I would argue, and more about distilling essences. Think of Kabuki theatre. The exaggerated makeup and costumes. Those are designed to portray archetypes, amplified emotion. And then, you factor in the influence of the West in the Taisho era. This is a caricature of a Japanese type, filtered through new lenses of seeing, post-modernism maybe, creating something new and incisive. Editor: It's interesting how those stripes become bolder the further down you look, pulling me into the image. It almost creates an imposing monumentality, despite being a print. The geometric abstraction is gorgeous! They seem almost to be bars, adding to this man's confinement of himself. He judges everyone and everything. What do you think? Curator: A fascinating take, indeed. The stripes definitely echo traditional garment patterns but arranged in this way, it creates a dynamic contrast with the sitter’s immobility and intense gaze. This might be a signifier of wealth in a quickly modernizing Japan, now ossified, perhaps suggesting social status under pressure from those societal shifts. Editor: In any case, there is a delicious tension between the controlled line-work of the traditional woodblock and that raw emotional impact that's still potent today, over a century later. That is one incredibly intense scowl. Curator: It truly captures a transitional moment. This portrait of social types also reflects an entire culture in the midst of transformation, now rendered visible and still resonant for us now.