Sodegaura (Sodegaura): Detached page from One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei) Vol. 1 Possibly 1834 - 1835

Curator: What a serene, almost dreamlike scene. Editor: Indeed, this is "Sodegaura" by Katsushika Hokusai, part of his "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji." Look at the way the woodblock printing emphasizes line and form. Curator: It’s mostly monochrome, but the undulating lines in the water give it such energy! And is that Mount Fuji peeking out in the distance? Editor: Yes, the almost minimalist rendering contrasts nicely with the detail of the cliffside. Consider the labor involved in carving these blocks, reproducing them, and the accessibility this offered! Curator: It makes you think about the layers, the history, the hands that touched it. I think I am starting to see Fuji everywhere now. Editor: Exactly. Hokusai's work helped democratize landscape, making it accessible through print. Curator: A lovely glimpse of the world, then, made accessible. Editor: A world of material and imagination.