Women Behind Screen 

Editor: This is "Women Behind Screen" by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. I find the woman's plaid kimono striking. What is your interpretation of this work, and its relationship to the screen it depicts? Curator: It's a delightful push-and-pull, isn't it? Kuniyoshi seems to be playing with the idea of realities layered on top of each other. The woman herself, a vibrant presence, is juxtaposed with the serene painted scene on the screen. Is she admiring, perhaps yearning, or even hiding? What do you think? Editor: I see what you mean about the layering! I hadn't considered the sense of yearning that the screen might represent, the woman perhaps desiring a life of art or something more... Curator: Exactly! And that's the joy of Kuniyoshi, isn't it? He leaves us with delicious ambiguities. I've learned something today, too.