Evening view of a temple in the hills 

Utagawa Hiroshige created this landscape print in 19th-century Japan using woodblock printing. It's worth considering how this process influenced the print's appearance. Woodblock printing is inherently a collaborative and labour-intensive craft. The design is first drawn, then transferred to a woodblock, which a carver uses to painstakingly cut away the negative space. A separate block is needed for each color. Printers then apply ink to the blocks and press them onto paper, carefully aligning each layer. Notice the flat planes of color and the bold outlines, which are characteristic of the medium. The subtle gradations of tone, known as bokashi, are a testament to the printer's skill. Although part of a popular series intended for mass consumption, the print retains the mark of the hand, reminding us that even in industrialized production, human skill and effort remain central. This challenges any strict distinction between 'fine art' and 'craft'.