French Couple c. 19th century

Editor: So, this is "French Couple" by Utagawa Yoshitora. It’s a woodblock print, and honestly, the first thing that strikes me is the sort of... awkwardness of the figures. It’s a bit jarring, especially with the text all around them. What do you make of it? Curator: Jarring is a wonderful word for it. I see it as a cultural snapshot, a moment of encounter. Yoshitora is grappling with representing "foreigners," those newly arrived French. Notice the flattened perspective, almost a caricature. Is it accurate? Maybe not entirely, but it reveals more about the Japanese gaze than French reality. Editor: That's interesting. So it's less about them and more about how they were perceived? Curator: Precisely! A reflection in a funhouse mirror, perhaps. And what does that reflection tell us about both cultures? Editor: I guess it’s a reminder that seeing isn't always believing, and art can be a sneaky way of showing what's in the mirror and what's behind it.