Ashinoyu c. 1830s

Editor: This woodblock print, "Ashinoyu," circa 1830s, by Utagawa Hiroshige, shows a bustling village nestled in a valley. It feels so peaceful, despite all the tiny figures milling about! What captures your attention when you look at this piece? Curator: It's interesting that you say "peaceful" – because I also see that dynamic quality between stillness and movement, much like our own minds, isn't it? The artist really knows how to set up that tension. For me, the overlapping composition pulls my eyes into its embrace; those layered landscapes seem to invite the viewer to breathe with it. Do you get that too, that invitation to linger? Editor: Absolutely! I noticed how the colors subtly shift to indicate depth. How does knowing this is a woodblock print influence your viewing experience? Curator: Ah, now you’re touching on the magic! Think of the labor involved in carving each of those colour fields – and layering them precisely, a real meditation on craft and care, so it influences me greatly and my viewing is richer for it. In some ways I become one with its making; in many ways I marvel. How do you interpret those textual components, the vibrant blocks with calligraphy? Editor: I didn’t even consider that calligraphy! They seem almost like graphic elements at first glance, balancing the composition. Now, though, it feels like unlocking another layer of meaning. Curator: Exactly! And remember, prints like these travelled. Think of it almost like a postcard, from the past – it speaks volumes! We see Japan filtered through Hiroshige's soul; the work inspires an ongoing reflection on what is shown, a dialogue. What is left is a resonance. Editor: I love that idea of it being a postcard. I never thought about it that way! Curator: Art changes once we engage with it differently, through asking questions, it almost becomes…alive.