Kamo Shrine Festival [one of a pair] c. 1700

Curator: This handscroll, likely dating to around 1700, depicts the Kamo Shrine Festival. The artist, Hayashi Morinao, rendered this scene in color on silk. Editor: It's incredibly airy and elegant. The pastel washes of color give the entire composition a dreamlike quality, and I love how the forms seem to emerge gently from the pale background. Curator: Indeed. The Kamo festival was an important public event during the Edo period in Japan, closely tied to the imperial family. Works like this offer glimpses into the ritualistic and social lives of people at that time. Editor: Note how Morinao employs what we might term an “economy of means." He utilizes only the barest essentials to render depth and perspective, while the winding streams draw the eye. Curator: That is Ukiyo-e for you. Ukiyo-e flourished as commercial print, thus such emphasis on accessibility as an urban and populist art. Also notice the composition with its arrangement of scenes like vignettes. The layout and the brush strokes have social implication that is meant to include more audience to the artwork. Editor: Absolutely, you can almost hear the sounds of the festival emanating from the artwork. Look how Morinao applied the pigments; in the foreground are richer and darker hues, but then those same pigments are further diluted in the background, heightening the illusion of space. Curator: This method emphasizes the role that the artist played as cultural record keepers as patrons enjoyed the works. The very act of viewing also situates it with politics. The brush is definitely mightier than sword. Editor: Looking closely, you see that the organization is less naturalistic and more deliberately organized. Curator: Thank you. By looking at the piece more than the individual work, we come to realize the real depth and implication behind the brush strokes. Editor: A wonderful look at art historical relevance, thank you.