Paarden-slippers 1822

Editor: Right now, we’re looking at Katsushika Hokusai’s 1822 woodcut, "Paarden-slippers", or "Horse Slippers" held at the Rijksmuseum. It's quite the collection of images! A drawing of two horses, an oversized head, a fan... the whole thing feels so playful and strange. How would you interpret this work, considering the socio-political context of its creation? Curator: Well, it’s certainly intriguing. Consider that ukiyo-e prints like this were often connected to popular culture and the theater. Given the time, Edo period Japan, humor and caricature played a critical role in social commentary. Notice how the horses, depicted as caricatures, are displayed on what seems to be a painter's fan or screen. Who would possess such a thing and what status symbol might it carry? Editor: A painter, perhaps? Or someone of artistic means. Curator: Precisely! This print may be poking fun at the artistic circles of the time, maybe satirizing the elevated status they enjoyed or specific artistic styles, and consider the wordplay prevalent in ukiyo-e – "horse slippers" might have alluded to something entirely different within the cultural context. It also plays with perspective – do you think this visual disruption served a particular purpose? Editor: I hadn’t considered the satire element so explicitly! I guess it cleverly undermines the established order, but the visual tricks add another layer to its public role. I now notice how the work's symbolism really needs social and historical awareness. Curator: Precisely. And by questioning that assumed knowledge, it brings us to a greater understanding of both this individual work and also the wider world it operated in at the time.