Viewing Sunset over Ryōgoku Bridge from the Ommaya Embankment (Ommayagashi yori Ryōgoku-bashi no sekiyō o miru), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjÅ«rokkei) c. 1831

Editor: This is Hokusai's "Viewing Sunset over Ryōgoku Bridge," from his "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji." The boats and figures give it such a human scale. I wonder, what can we read into Hokusai's choice to include these everyday scenes in a series about Mount Fuji? Curator: Well, consider the Edo period's burgeoning merchant class. Woodblock prints like this democratized art. It's not just about the mountain, but about how ordinary people related to it, how it was woven into the fabric of their daily lives and commerce. Editor: So the series isn't just landscape, it's social commentary? Curator: Exactly. Hokusai is showing us a society in motion, using Mount Fuji as a constant amidst changing social and economic landscapes. The bridge becomes a symbol of connection and progress. What do you think? Editor: That's fascinating! I didn't realize how much social context was packed into these prints. Curator: Indeed, they're a window into a specific time and place, revealing the public role of art.