Chiryū--Summer Horse Fair c. 1832 - 1833

Editor: This is Utagawa Hiroshige's "Chiryū--Summer Horse Fair," a color woodblock print from around 1832-1833. I’m immediately drawn to the texture and the subdued colors. What’s your interpretation? Curator: It’s a fantastic example of Ukiyo-e prints and their mass production for popular consumption. I’m thinking about the labor involved in creating each individual impression, from carving the woodblocks to mixing the inks from organic and inorganic materials. Do you see how the composition reflects this industrialization, how it simplifies the landscape? Editor: Yes, there's a sort of grid created by the posts and lines of horses that leads the eye back. Is it commenting on something specific, beyond just depicting the fair? Curator: Consider the cultural context. This fair wasn’t just about buying and selling animals, but a hub of economic activity. The materiality speaks to how resources—wood, pigments—are transformed into objects of both utility and aesthetic pleasure. How does the act of reproducing images on paper itself become a commodity within a larger system of consumption? Editor: I see. So, the choice of medium, a print, inherently connects the artwork to the systems of labor and economy present in the scene it depicts. Is that correct? Curator: Exactly. The layering of blocks, each adding color, points towards the division of labor and the standardized process of manufacturing within the printmaking workshops. This seemingly idyllic scene, therefore, unveils a complex interplay of aesthetics, production, and consumption. Editor: That's given me a new appreciation for the technical process behind these prints, and their link to commerce. I hadn't considered that so directly before. Curator: It’s all about seeing how materials and the means of their manipulation reflect larger social forces.