19. Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, Known as The Great Waterfall 1857

This is "Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, Known as The Great Waterfall," a woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige, created in Japan in the mid-19th century. It encapsulates the ethos of the Ukiyo-e school, which flourished during the Edo period. The print shows a tranquil scene of everyday life, depicting figures bathing and enjoying the cool waters of the Otonashi River, set against the backdrop of a dam and lush, flowering trees. Hiroshige's work offers a window into the social customs and recreational activities of the time, when landscape prints became increasingly popular among the merchant class as symbols of leisure and travel. The production of such prints relied on a complex network of artisans and publishers within a burgeoning commercial art market. To fully appreciate Hiroshige's work, scholars often consult historical documents, diaries, and other visual materials that shed light on the social milieu in which it was created and consumed. Art, as we see here, is contingent on its context.