Meisje met stuiterbal c. 1826

Curator: Yashima Gakutei’s “Meisje met stuiterbal,” or “Girl with Bouncing Ball,” made around 1826, offers us a glimpse into the culture and imagery of the Edo period in Japan, now held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It’s delicate. I'm struck by the flatness, the pale watercolor palette. Everything feels so contained, as if pressed between the petals of those flowers circling the scene. Curator: Indeed. Gakutei was a master of the *surimono*, these privately commissioned woodblock prints often used for special occasions. The circle itself imitates a fan shape. The image, therefore, functioned as a beautiful and individualized form of social exchange. Editor: I see that now. The patterned kimono and detailed flowers, combined with what looks like calligraphy in the top-left, definitely suggests a more personal, expressive purpose beyond simple utility. Do you notice how the white wooden edge runs along the lower half and how there is no white border up above? Curator: Certainly. Such designs were highly fashionable amongst members of poetry circles, artists and upper-class people celebrating key social or seasonal events. These provided platforms for self-expression, conveying complex visual and textual allusions. The bouncing ball perhaps symbolizes playfulness, a youthful spirit even within formal artistry. Editor: You can't help but wonder who this woman is. Is she enjoying some leisure time or caught in a moment of reverie. Curator: Contextualizing this image involves considering its creation outside mainstream publishing circuits, thus the intimate themes of personal expression over broader social critiques, as it exists within a more refined world of artistic patronage. Editor: The composition and colour, however, speaks for itself –a kind of formal dance, creating visual intrigue that complements the print’s cultural weight. It pulls us right in. Curator: A perfect way of seeing Gakutei’s vision. It emphasizes art's intertwining social function with intricate personal narrative within the *surimono* form. Editor: Leaving us appreciating a refined artwork that transcends its immediate depiction of daily life through carefully crafted form.