The Juvenile Genji (Osana Genji), Vol. 5 1665

Editor: Here we have a page from "The Juvenile Genji, Vol. 5" by Nonoguchi Ryuho, held at the Harvard Art Museums. The stark black and white illustration has a formal feeling, like a stage. What do you see in it? Curator: I see a fascinating intersection of gender, power, and performance. Consider the kneeling figure – likely a woman – juxtaposed with the seated figures elevated within the structure. How does this spatial arrangement reflect the social hierarchy of the time? Editor: So, it’s not just a pretty picture? Curator: Exactly! It's a carefully constructed narrative about visibility and invisibility, privilege and subjugation, embedded within the framework of Genji's world. Editor: Wow, I never thought of it that way. Curator: Art provides a valuable lens to analyze power structures.