The Bamboo-Blind Shell (Sudaregai), from an untitled series of shells c. 1769

Suzuki Harunobu created this woodblock print, The Bamboo-Blind Shell, part of a series of shells, sometime in the mid-18th century. Dominating the scene, the bamboo blind, or ‘sudare,’ traditionally signifies privacy and concealment, often hinting at intimate, interior spaces. The sudare is not merely a screen; it is a symbolic threshold. Think of similar motifs, such as the curtains in Renaissance paintings, that conceal and reveal. The meaning of the ‘sudare’ evolved from the Japanese Heian period, when it was mainly used by aristocrats, evolving from a screen of status to a symbol of intimacy, and even clandestine meetings. Here, the woman hidden behind the blind evokes a sense of longing and unseen beauty. The composition, full of such gestures, stirs the depths of our collective memory, engaging us with the universal themes of desire and mystery. It is a cycle, this revealing and concealing, passed down through art, forever resonating within us.