Poes in het venster 1807 - 1858

Curator: Just look at the sheer serenity of it! It's named "Cat in the Window" and was created sometime between 1807 and 1858. What grabs you right away, I wonder? Editor: That stillness is striking. The cat is centered, monumental, and utterly at peace against that wide vista. It suggests a complete harmony between the domestic and the natural world. Is it ukiyo-e? Curator: Yes, absolutely. This woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige resides here at the Rijksmuseum, exemplifying the style. What cultural associations are conjured when viewing? Editor: Well, there's the very composition as fan art that broadcasts a relationship between nature and artifice, each framed by the other. Think about the fan as a sign of status. Whose world are we invited into, exactly? What power dynamics does the cat witness through the window and from which window are we observing the scene? Curator: Exactly! I am reminded how cats act as guardians, beings with the uncanny ability to traverse boundaries, as though they might have access to parallel worlds that humans cannot easily enter. Look closer, how do cats relate to symbols of domestic comfort, fertility, luck, or change within Japanese folklore? Editor: That blend of tranquility and watchfulness certainly contributes to this artwork's lasting appeal. Consider that this artwork also signals to Orientalism through a Western gaze, given the cultural context and display of the Japanese world as perceived through a Western perspective. Curator: An interesting position, absolutely! The socio-political view is so complex, reflecting the intricacies of art history. In this artwork we have evidence of a cultural exchange that goes both ways. Editor: Indeed, and thinking through those dynamics makes it worth contemplating what such simple imagery continues to mean across time and space.