Three Men Looking at Framed Lacquer Drawing 1807 - 1868

Curator: Look at this intriguing piece by Shibata Zeshin, likely crafted between 1807 and 1868, entitled "Three Men Looking at Framed Lacquer Drawing." Editor: It immediately evokes a sense of theatricality. The bold colors, especially against that shimmering gold, coupled with the composition... it feels like a stage set. Curator: I agree. Let’s delve into the materiality. Zeshin was a master of lacquerware. While this is a watercolor drawing, his intimate knowledge of lacquer techniques clearly informs his process here. The layering of the paper and ink echoes that of lacquer application. Consider the craft involved, mimicking a "high art" form, drawing attention to material value. Editor: Exactly! The framed landscape itself appears almost like a window or a portal within a dream. The bridge suggests passage and transition, very prominent motifs in Japanese art reflecting spiritual journeys and philosophical quests for understanding. Curator: Right, the depiction of men contemplating a landscape also invites reflection on art's purpose within society. Was art created to inspire new desires of leisure within an emerging market culture? Editor: And, notably, the gold backdrop provides a timeless, almost ethereal quality. Its symbolic resonance with wealth and divinity, which invites us to think of the weight this scene carries – something precious is being contemplated. Perhaps these three men represent the collective consciousness absorbing the power of landscape as something inherently significant. Curator: Perhaps this is Zeshin commenting on his practice of mass producing what he has also deemed high art? A complex idea. The layering in of lacquer material logic as a production in miniature would've served the leisure class of Edo period Japan. Editor: Seeing the human figure brought down and into the land makes me wonder of humanity's purpose to look upon this earth we walk on... and ask why. This artist used every possible tool to explore human desire as a concept, both in his craft and art making practices. Curator: It's fascinating how Zeshin manages to collapse medium-specific hierarchies, prompting us to reflect on our contemporary art valuation structures, in his playful visual language, especially. Editor: I am particularly charmed by Zeshin's bold synthesis. Bringing a perspective from within a craft's visual culture is fascinating.