No. 16, Kanbara: Ferry on the Fuji River (Fujikawa funawatari), from the series The Tōkaidō Road, The Fifty-three Stations (Tōkaidō, GojÅ«san tsugi no uchi) 

Editor: This is Utagawa Hiroshige's woodblock print, "No. 16, Kanbara: Ferry on the Fuji River," from the "Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō" series. The river dominates the composition. How do you interpret the use of line and color to create depth in this print? Curator: Note the interplay of horizontal and diagonal lines. The horizon created by the far shore is intersected by the diagonal movement of the boats and figures, creating a layered effect. The restrained palette, predominantly blues and earth tones, reinforces the composition's planar structure. Editor: So, the color isn't about realism, but about defining space? Curator: Precisely. Hiroshige manipulates color to emphasize form rather than to mimic nature. It's about the structured arrangement, the interplay of line and color. Editor: Interesting! I hadn't considered the colors as structural elements before. Curator: Considering the arrangement of formal elements really opens the work up.