Observational Paper

Classics & Calligraphy

The Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated, an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of  Art in New York City, has been showcased from March 5th-June 16th. The exhibit is the first substantial loan in the United States that displays The Tale of Genji. Genji Monogatari or the Tale of Genji is a Japanese novel written in the 11th century during the Heian period by Murasaki Shikibu. The style of kana calligraphy is distinct throughout the novel and especially distinct considering the rarity of a woman being able to study the art of calligraphy. I’ve always found calligraphy fascinating due to the blurred line to where language melds into the visual arts.  I was first introduced to the cultural norms of the Heian period as a student in a global history course in high school. Although I am an outsider to the Tale of Genji Exhibit, I have visited the Met several times and have grown familiar with the typical etiquette expected as well as the historical context in which it was written.

I arrived on the second floor of the Met around 3:45 on a Thursday afternoon and was immediately was struck by how dimly lit the entrance to the exhibit was. The bright gold clouds and lettering with the title of the works appeared as a royal entrance to the showcase. The black wallpaper by the entrance was accented with gold, a series of clouds lined the perimeter and the title of the showcase was written with the same style letting that lay feet away on the many scrolls. The contrast of the gold The lighting and hushed conversation brought my heightened attention to the beauty in being able to see such ancient texts and paintings. Upon entry, a plaque describing the style of calligraphy and a brief history serves as context to the writing seen throughout the novel. Kana calligraphy is used throughout the fifty-four chapters. It was rather quiet, more so than I had expected for a room that had approximately over thirty people.  Shikibu devised the novel with seventy-two wakas, which are poems found in Japanese literature. The Tale of Genji narrates the life of Hikaru Genji, the son of Emperor Kiritsubo, and his experiences as an imperial officer as well as his romantic pursuits.

Several handscrolls sat perched in the glass enclosures, saturated with the grey stains and tears seen in ancient literature as time wears it away. The worn paper of the scrolls are lined with gold creating sharp contrast and highlighting the opulence of imperial life. The cultural norms of the aristocratic society in the Heian period is highlighted in the novel. The exhibit was filled with these long handscrolls yet, also contained several wall screens, furniture, instruments, games as well as clothing from the period. The handscrolls were often looked at, met with a slowed down of pace in movement and then a quick turnaround to understand another one. I found it fascinating that for the smaller exhibits of scrolls individuals usually hovered for thirty seconds before continuing due to the amount of intricate details that barely recieved a glance. Large wall screens and displays of clothing seemed to capture the attention of visitors holding their interest for approximately one to three minutes.

The exhibit featured a diverse crowd of individuals in my perspective based on assumptions of class, race, and age. I heard several languages spoken including French, Korean, Chinese and Spanish while walking through the exhibit excluding the Japanese heard from the additional audio alongside particular plaques. The abundance of languages heard in the Tale of Genji exhibit was expected not only due to the Metropolitan Museum of Art being a popular destination for tourists as well as the diversity among New Yorkers. When I sat at a bench observing the habits of the individuals in the exhibit, even if they appeared alone, I would often see another person appear as a conversation would begin. Although it was not especially crowded, it would sometimes be the case that I would uncomfortably in the middle of a group speaking while observing. The conversation often mentioned the amount of detail in the work, how remarkable it is to view such old literature and other topics irrelevant to The Tale of Genji. I had assumed that the crowd of the audience would consist more significantly of older individuals due to my perception that millennials had a disdain for classic literature.

The serenity that fell over the rooms made The Tale of Genji exhibit felt distinct from other exhibits I’ve visited in the museum. The ambiance created with the dramatic lighting and abundance of such aged art created a level of respect seen through the low level of noise that was unexpected. My experience observing the Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic demonstrated the extent to which an environment can influence an individual’s demeanor.

Reflection

When deciding on an event, I instantly searched up exhibits at the nearby museums. I was delighted to hear of the Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is one of my favorite museums in New York. The experience of physically taking notes while in an exhibit was bizarre to me. I have typically visited museums when in need of inspiration for my own art as well as to simply appreciate the vast amount of art there is access to living in the city. My focus in museums is typically on the art and the surrounding people are just that, merely background noise. I was forced to fully acknowledge the environment of the exhibit including space, the people as well as the items on display. I attempted to take notes on the things I considered small as well as more purposeful. While working on the Interview Paper, I found it difficult to engage in conversation while taking notes. The Observational Paper the process of taking notes in the attempt to capture its essence felt more comfortable having read the several ethnographies in Fieldworking: Reading and Writing Research. When I first attempted to make sense of my notes, it felt odd to consider the exhibit as a subculture. Due to the fact that the Tale of Genji Exhibit is more than simply a specific group of individuals, I struggled to see the culture of the exhibit. I looked over the key terms and started looking at the common behavior throughout the exhibit instead of the seemingly distant individuals roaming while viewing the same art.

When I began drafting my Observational Paper, I struggled with deciding which details are useful to the narrative. I included several facts that I saw as essential in fully exploring the subculture yet, in editing I realized I was severely over the word count. I struggled writing the essay the most over the editing. I restructured a lot of the details as to make my writing more comprehensive to the audience especially when discussing my observations about the people in the exhibit. I was able to recognize the successful traits in a paper while conducting the peer review for Jiayu. I found that while working on the Observational Paper it was quite useful to remember tone. The action of tracking your assumptions, positions, and tensions all aids to create the voice that the reader should distinctly hear throughout the text.