Murasaki Shikibu c. 1843 - 1846

Editor: Here we have Utagawa Hiroshige’s "Murasaki Shikibu," a woodblock print from around 1843 to 1846. The scene is serene, almost melancholic. A lone figure gazes out at the water. What do you see in this piece, especially considering its historical context? Curator: What strikes me is how Hiroshige uses landscape to comment on female authorship and agency within a patriarchal society. Murasaki Shikibu, author of *The Tale of Genji*, becomes a symbol. The print isn’t just a beautiful scene; it's a statement about a woman's intellectual space and its limitations. Editor: Limitations? Curator: Yes. Think about the framing: she's on a veranda, looking out. Is she confined? Or is she contemplating the world that informs her writing? Consider, too, the male-dominated art world of Ukiyo-e. How does Hiroshige, by choosing a female literary figure, subtly challenge those conventions? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. So the landscape isn't just scenery; it's part of a commentary. Curator: Precisely. The vibrant yet subdued colors, the placement of the figure in relation to the vast landscape—it all speaks to the complex relationship between women, nature, and creative expression within 19th-century Japan. Do you notice the contrast between the vivid colors of the leaves versus the more muted figure and background? Editor: I do now. It emphasizes her isolation, perhaps? I’ll never look at a landscape the same way again! Thank you for broadening my view. Curator: And thank you for your curiosity. These prints encourage us to reconsider our relationship with art and history.