Tsuchiyama 1906

This is 'Tsuchiyama,' a woodblock print made by Utagawa Hiroshige sometime in the mid-19th century. I love the way Hiroshige uses simple marks to create such an evocative scene. It’s all about the process, the layering of colors and textures. What really grabs me is the rain, these subtle vertical lines that give the whole scene a hazy, dreamy quality. Look closely at the way the blue of the waterfall fades into white, it's so delicate and precise. This one bold stroke gives the whole scene depth. The way the figures are arranged in the boat, each with their own little hat, feels both intimate and distant. You see these travelers, but also sense their quiet focus in the face of the rain. Hiroshige reminds me of someone like Agnes Martin, in the sense of the capacity for quiet observation and love of the natural world. It reminds us that art is about seeing and feeling, rather than knowing.