Comparison Indrajit & Utagawa

 To start off I have chosen to compare "Indrajit meets with Ravana, then binds Rama and Laksmana with magic serpents; Sita is told they are dead" and "Utagawa Kunisada." To start off with a little information about the artworks, Indrajit is a scene that is a part of a larger story, the Ramayana. The story focuses on the dispute of good and evil. The characters in the scene experience love, loss, loyalty, conflict, fear, and friendship. These encounters highlight one’s meaning. Utagawa is a picture, there is a woman wearing a kimono, whom is standing by a vacant carriage. Her kimono is green that matches the carriage symbolizing a connection. Her robe and headscarf indicate it is cold outside. The whole artwork represents modern beauties. 

“Indrajit meets with Ravana, then binds Rama and Laksmana with magic serpents; Sita is told they are dead,” folio from the Yuddha Kanda of the Ramayana, by Sahib Din, Udaipur, c. 1650-52, watercolor on paper, approximately 9 x 15.38 inches (British Library, Add. 15297(1), f.34 r)

    The elements within the two artworks are unidentified, mysterious. Within Indrajit, The elements are very chaotic. It is very hard to tell what’s going on. In Utagawa, The elements are modest. The artwork is simple but complicated to understand. As for the elements being mysterious or unidentified, it is the same for if someone were to read the image. Indrajit could be read as a story, but difficult to understand. Utragawa is unknown. There’s Japanese writing on the wall and it has a simple work, but is hard to interpret what you were looking at. These two artworks are from the same country, but opposite sides, which is unique to compare them. Indrajit comes from India, which is the story behind the scene (as said in the beginning background information.) Utagawa is from Japan, more specifically from the Edo period. 

Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), Visiting Komachi (Kayoi Komachi) , from the series Modern Beauties as the Seven Komachi (Tōsei Bijin Nana Komachi) , c. 1821-22, published by Kawaguchiya Uhei (Fukusendō), woodblock print: ink and color on paper, 36.5 x 25.5 cm ( Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ) 

    The description under the images include the name, what they are a part of, when it was published, and what type of form of art it is. For these pieces of art you definitely need to find a background knowledge to understand the stories behind the artworks. Otherwise, it will be very hard to understand what is happening in the image. 

       When reading the background information, it becomes aware how complex images can be. For example, looking at Indrajit, it is very chaotic and the message is unclear until you read that is based off a poem. For Utagawa, you would see a simple lost looking woman, when you read the background it explains she represents modern beauties and it is a part of a series. Within all of these points, it explains how these artworks tell a story.

Dr. Arathi Menon, "A page from the Mewar Ramayana," in Smarthistory, June 22, 2020, accessed February 14, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/mewar-ramayana/. 

Dr. Sonia Coman, "Utagawa Kunisada I, Visiting Komachi, from the series Modern Beauties as the Seven Komachi," in Smarthistory, June 5, 2018, accessed February 14, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/kunisada-visiting-komachi/.