Draft panel in standard script c. 18th century

Curator: Here we have a draft panel in standard script, dating from around the 18th century, attributed to Kimura Kenkadō. It's an ink drawing on paper, formatted as a hanging scroll, held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: The immediate feeling is scholarly and meticulous, yet also somewhat tentative. The ink is deep black, and the characters are packed tightly, like someone carefully documenting… thoughts? Inventory? It feels more like a workspace than a finished piece. Curator: It very well could be. The “Draft panel” label suggests precisely that, a kind of personal sketchbook or preparatory study for a larger work. You’re responding to the energy of process inherent in the materiality itself, the texture of the paper hinting at the repeated strokes, the absorption of ink… Editor: Yes, exactly! Looking closer, I'm really drawn to the way the density of the ink varies, creating these fascinating dark pools at the junctures of strokes, versus the drier, thinner lines elsewhere. Was this paper particularly absorbent, I wonder, or was Kenkadō experimenting with ink densities? I love the almost haphazard quality alongside the formal rigor of the calligraphy itself. It looks like a materials sample guide with notes as a key, right? Curator: An interesting point. This is standard script, a highly formalized style used for copying important texts and government documents, so you're right, precision was important. There may have been symbolic values attributed to types of writing during this time; perhaps our author was writing with purpose and intent beyond documenting ingredients. It certainly begs a reading beyond the practical. Editor: I'd wager the paper type dictated the speed with which the standard script was achieved! It’s exciting to consider this “draft panel” not just as a means to a completed scroll, but a study of the properties, capabilities and material limits in relation to both artist and materials! Curator: Ultimately, that gives this piece its dynamism—this friction between spontaneity and restraint that your keen observation has elucidated so beautifully! Editor: And I think your observation reveals its continued cultural value!