Namazu 1906

This woodblock print, "Namazu," was created by Utagawa Hiroshige. It's all thin lines and flat planes, built up to describe a specific location. I’m wondering what it was like for Hiroshige to make this? It's a landscape, sure, but there are figures—they're like props in a way. The artist is making choices about where to put them, how to use them to move us through the scene. Is that a demon walking down the road? It's kind of unsettling to have this weird folkloric character just casually strolling through the village! I'm thinking about how an artist creates an image—not just copying what’s there, but making something new. There's such a delicate balance between representation and invention. This little print is part of a long, ongoing conversation among artists. It makes you want to pick up a brush, doesn't it?