Tama River in Rain 1929

Editor: This is "Tama River in Rain," a woodblock print created in 1929 by Unichi Hiratsuka. There's a stillness to it, despite the title suggesting rain. It's so delicate. How do you interpret this work, especially the symbols or visual cues that stand out to you? Curator: Well, the most striking thing is precisely that stillness, as you noted. It's "rain" depicted through a scrim, an absence rather than a presence, that veil-like effect above. Rain is often used symbolically to denote cleansing, sorrow, or even a new beginning. Here, it feels like a screen through which we are looking, a memory. The traditional subject of ukiyo-e prints frequently captured fleeting moments of everyday life. What resonates with you regarding that cultural memory in this landscape? Editor: I think it’s the boats. They seem so vulnerable with their bright orange roofs in this soft landscape; little human havens against the vastness of the water. Curator: Exactly! Consider the colour: that striking red or orange is used sparingly but strategically, isn't it? What do such intense artificial colors layered over a nature scene tell you about memory and continuity? Editor: That even in nature, humanity finds a way to leave its mark, both literally with these structures, and emotionally through the suggestion of the people that would be in them. Curator: Indeed. Ukiyo-e often played with contrasting elements – nature and artifice, stillness and movement. That interplay is powerful. So, from fleeting moments to persistent structures: Do you agree that Hiratsuka captures both the transient and enduring qualities of human existence? Editor: I think so! The enduring part seems to be the emotion left. I didn't expect that I could pull so many things from just this print. Curator: It's amazing how symbols carry so much. Art, like memory, is a layered experience.