The phrase “emancipation of humanity” may today sound somewhat lofty and abstract, but in 1948 when this painting was first exhibited, it surely had a more urgent ring to it. For example, one of the five major reforms carried out under the auspices of the occupying Allied Powers in 1945 dealt with the emancipation of women. However, Maruki’s title speaks not of “women” but of “humanity.” From the woman’s gaze in this painting, we can sense that the artist had a greater, more universal future “emancipation” in mind.