Title: Actor Onoe Matsusuke II (1784-1849)
After watching the youtube video last night in preparation for today's class, I felt a sense of appreciation for the time devoted to making precise, almost microscopic etchings into a wooden block in order to produce such a beautiful work. With that appreciation in mind, I was drawn to this piece due to the curved, flowing layering of the actor's kimono, and the detail inscribed in in facial expression and face framing hairs that appear to have been carved one by one with a great deal of dedication to perfection. While the coloration of this piece was not as impressive as some of the others (such as thought with up to six or seven different colors or tones) I found the simplicity of the colorations to be an attractive quality. The overall message being conveyed by this piece was also what brought me to it, as it appears that the actor being depicted is preparing to brawl with a herd of unthreatening mice. I felt that it was a representation of social classes, as the actor is descending of the mice, and preparing to physically reinforce their place beneath him and as unequal beings. Definitely a lot going on in this piece and I truly enjoyed studying it.
Title: Egypt
From the moment we walked into the room I could not stop fixating on this piece. Perhaps it was the curiosity this androgynous image provoked, or the sharp contrast between pale and deep staining. Regardless, I felt compelled to investigate this image as it appeared to be so blatantly different from those surrounding it. The factor that intrigued me the most was the gender of the individual being portrayed, especially from a Japanese gaze, and the subject boasts a hourglass figure, complimented by long tresses, yet appears to be sporting facial hair in the form of a beard. In comparison to the earlier works we were exposed to, this piece appears to be less challenging with regard to its physical sculpting, but it captures the attention of the viewer with little effort.
Rachel, do you think there is a connection between the small amount of colors in the woodblock painting of the actor with the social class being represented that you mentioned? That perhaps the through the lack of diversity in color is another tactic to show the simplification of the actor's social class? I noticed that the feet of the actor are in a non-natural stance that resemble someone about to perform. Perhaps that could be a comment as well that there was rigidity in social positioning too.
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