Vrouw met een rol c. 1827

This woodblock print, "Woman with a Roll," was made around the 1820s by Totoya Hokkei, a student of the great Hokusai. Japanese woodblock prints were typically made through a division of labor, involving an artist who made the original design, a block cutter who transferred the design to woodblocks, and a printer, who inked the blocks and made the impressions on paper. The print's aesthetic owes much to the inherent qualities of the materials. The subtle texture and color variations of the paper, combined with the precise carving of the woodblocks, create a delicate balance between line and form. The flat planes of color are typical of the *ukiyo-e* style, but consider how much handwork was involved in producing these images. The system of *ukiyo-e* production allowed for sophisticated images to reach a wide audience, but it was built on specialized labor. This artwork invites us to reflect on the rich and varied tapestry of human creativity, and the social contexts of making.