No. 39 c. 1835 - 1838

Editor: This is “No. 39,” a woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige, made around 1835 to 1838. It feels incredibly detailed for a print – almost photographic in its rendering of the waterfall. I’m curious, what strikes you most about it? Curator: Immediately, I'm drawn to the labor embedded within this seemingly idyllic landscape. Consider the woodblock printing process itself – the carving, the inking, the layering of colours, each demanding meticulous, skilled work. Ukiyo-e prints were not simply "art"; they were commodities produced by workshops, distributed widely, and consumed by a burgeoning urban middle class. What can you tell me about the figures depicted? Editor: I see people traveling across a bridge. One figure has straw bundles on their back. Are those supplies being delivered somewhere? Curator: Precisely! Notice the material reality of their journey. What does their labor tell us? These details aren't incidental. This print depicts the everyday economy: a vibrant circulation of goods and people, fueled by labour, through landscapes reshaped by human needs and desires. The waterfall might be awe-inspiring, but the human element is really what sells this kind of piece, don't you think? Editor: I suppose I hadn't considered that angle. So, even within something seemingly "beautiful" like a landscape, we can see a whole system of production and consumption at play. I learned a lot just by focusing on who is making it and what they were making! Curator: Exactly! It’s about seeing the artwork not just as an isolated aesthetic object, but as a node within a web of social and material relations. I'll remember to see art within historical processes now!