Joruri Singer

A drawing rather than a woodblock print, this 1936 study of a joruri singer documents Jacoulet's engagement with Japanese traditional performing arts. Joruri — the narrative chanting tradition associated with bunraku puppet theater — was performed by specialists of great technical skill, and a drawing of a joruri singer suggests Jacoulet's interest in capturing the focused concentration of the performer at work. The medium of drawing places this work in a different register from his finished woodblock prints, closer to documentary observation.