Fuji of the Bamboo Grove (Chikurin no Fuji), detached page from the book One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei), vol. 2 Possibly 1835 - 1836

Editor: This print, "Fuji of the Bamboo Grove" by Hokusai, feels like a secret glimpse. I'm struck by how the artist positions us within the bamboo, almost hiding the mountain. What do you make of this framing? Curator: The bamboo grove isn’t just a pretty frame; it's a carefully constructed filter. Consider the historical context: Hokusai was working in a period of increasing urbanization and commercialization. Editor: So, the bamboo is a commentary? Curator: Precisely! It allows Hokusai to use familiar imagery, bamboo forests and Mount Fuji, to engage the changing roles of nature, representation, and national identity in Japanese society. What do you think about that? Editor: It’s like he's inviting the viewer to reconsider their relationship with both nature and national symbols. It makes me want to delve deeper into that history. Curator: And that's the beauty of art, isn't it? It provokes us to question and learn.