Ferry Boats at Fuji River in Sunshū Province c. 1837

Editor: So this woodblock print, "Ferry Boats at Fuji River in Sunshū Province" by Utagawa Hiroshige, dating to about 1837, feels quite peaceful, despite the depiction of human activity. There’s a strong emphasis on the relationship between labor and the natural landscape. What do you see as particularly significant here? Curator: Looking at this print, I'm struck by how it exemplifies the commercialization of landscape. The woodblock printmaking process itself – the carving, inking, and printing – was a labor-intensive craft, and these prints were produced for a burgeoning consumer market. How do the figures on the boats, their activity, contribute to the overall meaning in the context of their economic production? Editor: They definitely feel integral. Not just scenic elements, but small contributors to a larger network. Do you think the choice of materials, like ink and wood, held particular significance for Hiroshige? Curator: Absolutely. Wood as a material connects to a wider ecosystem, not just within the frame but extrinsically as well; where was that wood sourced, who harvested it? Ink as well— what processes contributed to that production? Further, think about the dissemination of these prints. They were commodities circulated widely. Editor: So the value isn’t just in the aesthetic image, but in understanding it as part of this larger system of labor and consumption. Curator: Exactly. And it's worth considering how this perspective shifts our understanding of landscape art, away from mere aesthetic appreciation to a recognition of the material conditions of its making. Does considering that shift how you look at it? Editor: Yes, totally! I’ll never look at landscapes the same way now. I see it beyond pretty nature and think of who made the work, how it got here, the processes that made the image possible. Curator: I hope that understanding changes how you perceive the world, and not just artworks.