Kakegawa 1906

This is “Kakegawa,” one of a series of woodblock prints made by Utagawa Hiroshige sometime in the mid-19th century. I love how he reduces the world to blocks of color, each one distinct but bumping up against the others. It’s a great reminder that seeing is always about selecting, about making choices. Look at the bridge: the way it curves and the figures crossing are captured in such a simplified way, it feels almost like a cartoon! But then there's the water. See those almost violent, diagonal marks? They slice across the surface, giving a real sense of movement and drama. It's like Hiroshige is saying, hey, things are never just one thing. That little red kite floating in the sky is such a delicate touch. It draws your eye upward, like a breath. It makes me think of Hokusai, especially the way he captured Mount Fuji – how these artists were always looking for new ways to show us the world, not as it is, but as we feel it. The way that they’re able to capture ambiguity makes each piece so special.