Fuchu 1906

This print of Fuchu, made by Utagawa Hiroshige, probably with woodblocks and ink, feels so delicate. I wonder what it was like to make? It’s like he and his team of carvers and printers made a record of a place and time - a fleeting moment of figures wading across a river. And I bet it took Hiroshige a good few goes to get it right. Did he start with drawing? How did he separate all those colours? The figures wading through the water become marks in space. A kind of calligraphy, using their bodies to create an image. They are pulling carts, carrying people. It looks difficult. And yet Hiroshige has captured the scene with such lightness. It's like he’s dancing with the water. He’s in conversation with all those other painters of the floating world. They were all pushing against the boundaries of what painting could be, in a different time, in a different way. When you see a print like this, you realize it's not just about what's depicted, but about the whole history of looking and making. It makes you want to grab a brush and join the party.