Ferry Port at Imagiri Beach 1841 - 1842

Editor: This is "Ferry Port at Imagiri Beach," a woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige, dating back to 1841-1842. The figures are so carefully posed, it looks like a perfectly orchestrated little scene! What stands out to you most in this work? Curator: Oh, it’s absolutely the dance between stillness and movement, isn’t it? The boats poised, the figures gathered – almost like actors on a stage before the curtain rises. The colours! That exquisite wash of the water bleeding into the sky – does it evoke a particular feeling in you, perhaps of anticipation? Editor: It's calming, like watching a well-rehearsed play with gentle movement and anticipation before the journey. There’s a definite peacefulness despite the activity. Curator: Peaceful, yes, but also look at how Hiroshige directs our gaze. The way the lines of the boats and shore lead us toward the distant mountains...It's as if we are being invited on a little voyage ourselves. Notice anything familiar in other works, something about the scene perhaps? Editor: It’s funny, now that you point it out, it's staged a lot like 17th century Dutch landscapes - something like “View of Haarlem” where the eye is directed far into the background with a strong sense of depth, even though it's flat. Curator: Exactly! The European influence is undeniable. Hiroshige absorbs, refracts, and then presents us with something uniquely his own. He transforms that aerial perspective. What’s so exciting here is not only the beautiful scene he paints, but all the scenes in art history brought to bear in order to make it! Do you feel any echoes now of, say, Hokusai's Great Wave? Editor: Absolutely, I get a stronger sense now for how Hiroshige built on what was around him, in Japan and in the art world more broadly. Curator: Well, to me it just proves how all great art is a conversation across time and space. We just need to learn to listen closely.