Cover From a Japanese Illustrated Book 1729 - 1749

Editor: Here we have "Cover From a Japanese Illustrated Book" dating back to between 1729 and 1749, currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's a woodblock print by Okumura Masanobu, and it strikes me as both delicate and bold, a curious blend. What draws your eye most about this piece? Curator: It’s got this fascinating quietness about it, doesn’t it? The whisper of a landscape alongside the bold declaration of text. I'm drawn to how the landscape with what appears to be Mount Fuji lurking in the background sort of melts into abstract shapes, barely there. There’s almost a sense of… remembering, not actually seeing. A ghost of a place. Do you get that feeling? Editor: I do. The almost faded look gives it this dreamlike quality. And what about the kimono shape and text on the right side? Does it connect to the landscape at all, or is it doing something completely different? Curator: Oh, definitely connected, but subtly! That's a clever question. Ukiyo-e prints, like this one, often play with connecting everyday objects like the kimono to deeper cultural or historical narratives. Perhaps the kimono belonged to a figure associated with the landscape, or the scene from the text alludes to similar ideas present on the landscape’s side. You see that tension and harmony? I think there is something beautiful and maybe a little melancholy about that. Editor: That's amazing, I hadn't even considered the two halves interacting like that. It almost feels like two different stories blending together on one page. Curator: Precisely! That kind of layering is what makes art from this period so enriching. Each glance reveals a new possible narrative or interpretation. Maybe you, yourself, should try and dream a story from it. Editor: I will. I think that blending is now my favorite part! It adds so much depth and it makes me want to explore more works from the period to see if that "two-stories" approach shows up elsewhere.