Models Hugs 

Editor: So, this woodblock print is called "Models Hugs" by Katsushika Hokusai, and it's located here at the Guimet Museum in Paris. The first thing I notice is how intimate and, frankly, how awkward the figures look – a blend of eroticism and something almost…humorous? What’s your read on this work? Curator: Oh, my dear, you've stumbled upon something deliciously complex! It's interesting you sense awkwardness – perhaps that's a touch of our modern lens clouding the view? See, Shunga, erotic art like this, wasn't simply about titillation. It was interwoven with folk beliefs, talismans for good luck, health, and even safe childbirth! Editor: Really? So, it’s not just…racy? Curator: Heavens, no! Hokusai, ever the trickster, is playing with multiple layers. Observe the meticulously detailed kimono patterns against the raw emotion in their faces. And that little black box – is it a pillow? A dark secret? Hokusai leaves it open to our interpretation, a dance between the public and private self. Editor: That’s…a lot more than I expected. It completely changes the way I see the image. Curator: Doesn't it always? That’s the delicious torment and ecstasy of art. What did you find most surprising? Editor: I think the idea of erotic art having protective, almost sacred, qualities. I never would have guessed. Curator: Exactly! And for me, it's how Hokusai uses such a potentially explicit subject to explore the very human themes of intimacy and connection. A provocative hug, indeed.