Fishing Village 1909 - 1910

Editor: This piece, "Fishing Village," by Kamisaka Sekka, dating from 1909-1910, uses watercolor in an almost graphic way. The fishing nets seem to create a veil in front of the village itself. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: For me, the appeal of "Fishing Village" resides in its deconstruction of the typical landscape. Look at the materiality; it isn’t just watercolour. What is Sekka actually *doing* with the paper, the pigments? Are they conventionally applied? What is foregrounded here isn't simply representation, but the act and means of artistic production itself. Editor: I see what you mean. It's almost like the process of creating the image is part of the subject, more so than a realistic portrayal of the village itself. Is this related to Sekka's design work? Curator: Precisely! Consider how traditional craft and so-called 'high art' are operating within the same frame. Sekka was deeply involved in design and applied arts. This blurring of boundaries speaks volumes about cultural value systems, doesn't it? Think about the labour involved in constructing the fishing nets, compared to the labour of creating the painting. Editor: I never would have thought of it that way, comparing fishing and painting as different forms of labour embedded in the art itself. Thanks for opening my eyes to that perspective! Curator: It's crucial to consider not just *what* is represented but *how* it's made. It encourages us to think critically about artistic value, labour, and how we assign meaning to objects.