Ōta Chōu’s Vaccination: Medicine and Modern Girls in 1930s Japanese Painting(nursingclio.org)

Ōta Chōu’s Vaccination: Medicine and Modern Girls in 1930s Japanese Painting

https://nursingclio.org/2021/05/20/ota-chous-vaccination-medicine-and-modern-girls-in-1930s-japanese-painting/

7 comments

Not as impressed as the OP about that painting. My eye was not drawn to the vaccination point as suggested. The two faces in fact are not both looking there; one is not clearly looking anywhere. No, the attention-getter is the bold print kimono and the splashes of color. In fact I didn't see the vaccination at all until I read the text and looked again.

Anyway to each their own.

tasogare5 anni fa

The vaccination is literally at the center of the image and both characters are looking at it…

JoeAltmaier5 anni fa

Disagree. The patient is hiding her face in her shoulder as she shyly offers her arm. Her eyes are ambiguous.

jaak5 anni fa

I have to agree with tasogare that the focus is the vaccination and both characters are looking directly at it.

Here is larger version that clearly shows their gaze: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ExdDvo_WUAEmp6g.jpg

JoeAltmaier5 anni fa

Still don't see it. The patient's gaze is puzzlingly higher up her arm.

dole5 anni fa

I like this, it’s a strange notion that something as medically advanced as immunization is basically performed the same way as it was 90 years ago, but also in a social aspect as well. Didn’t know about the 1920-30’s Japanese Modern Girl culture myself, this article is a nice historical and modern dovetailing of science, sociology, and ultimately beautiful and important art. Thanks.

JustFinishedBSG5 anni fa

Vaccination has been going on for basically 1000 years in China.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inoculation