Takanawa 1833 - 1837

Curator: Looking at this, I feel…still. Like that pause in a musical piece before the crescendo. Editor: That’s an interesting take! We’re looking at "Takanawa", a woodblock print made between 1833 and 1837 by Utagawa Hiroshige. You can find it here at the Rijksmuseum. The first thing that grabs me is how tall and narrow the format is. Curator: Right, it’s almost like a scroll unrolled, drawing your eye up from the anchored boats to that magnificent, soaring goose against the moon. A very dreamy contrast with the mundane activities happening down by the docks. You feel the loneliness of open spaces and freedom up above the land and sea. Editor: Hiroshige really understood how to use perspective to create that feeling of depth and vastness within a small space. It's not just a pretty picture, but a commentary on the social and economic life along the Tōkaidō road, capturing these little glimpses of daily commerce within the picturesque landscape. And that area during the Edo period was transitioning toward industry. Curator: I feel the commerce less distinctly than I experience the moment—that singular, captured moment. Look how that large bird dominates the frame against that perfect circular moon. Like thought balloons rising out of what’s merely quotidian, giving that experience grandeur. He captures the intersection of something profound in the face of what appears… not so much. Editor: I think he also understood the art market! Woodblock prints were popular and relatively inexpensive. Artists like Hiroshige helped democratize access to beautiful landscapes and scenes of urban life, feeding a growing appetite for art among the merchant class. This piece also makes effective use of the "bokashi" technique, where a color gradient effect is achieved using delicate, subtle pressure to create a wash with the printing block. Curator: It does all that. Yes. But I’m sticking with “dreamy pause.” A melancholic bird soaring to a moon, that’s exactly like a good poem! It evokes something far beyond its literal imagery. And now, considering our own time, with such intense social changes happening all around the world…this artwork feels relevant now, too. A reminder of fleeting time, yes, but also a moment to catch the moonlight while it shines. Editor: A poetic summary, indeed. A lovely perspective to carry as you move on to our next work!