Flower Baskets and Farmer's Hat 1880s

Editor: We’re looking at “Flower Baskets and Farmer’s Hat,” a painting from the 1880s by Shibata Zeshin, currently held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The way the objects are arranged, set against this muted gray background, it gives off such a sense of peaceful rural life, doesn't it? What strikes you most about it? Curator: The quiet you perceive is definitely a cultivated one. Zeshin was working during the Meiji period when Japan was rapidly modernizing and Westernizing. He, along with other artists, deliberately looked back to pre-industrial aesthetics and values. This isn’t simply a still life, but a conscious construction of an idealized past. Do you notice anything about the materials he uses and how they might connect to this idea? Editor: Now that you mention it, I see he uses traditional materials, watercolours I think. But the texture almost looks like impasto, which seems unexpected. Does that choice tell us anything about the context in which he was working? Curator: Exactly! Zeshin’s innovative use of lacquer techniques in painting was groundbreaking. It was his way of elevating craft to fine art, and reminding the viewer of the value of Japanese traditions in a rapidly changing world. Think about who the audience for this piece might have been, both domestically and internationally. How would they have viewed this image of seemingly simple rural life? Editor: So, this image would’ve had specific cultural relevance at that time, beyond just an attractive picture. Almost a political statement by the artist through quiet observation? It shows so much by showing something so simple. Curator: Precisely. The painting uses nostalgia and careful craft to make a subtle argument about cultural identity. And remember the Met itself, where this hangs, is part of this story - deciding what and how non-western art should be viewed by the public is fraught with politics and influence. Editor: I see how something as unassuming as this artwork engages with some powerful socio-historical elements! I will never look at it the same way.