Tsuchiyama--Spring Rain c. 1832 - 1833

Editor: This is Utagawa Hiroshige’s "Tsuchiyama—Spring Rain," a woodblock print from around 1832. I am struck by the verticality of the rain and how it almost flattens the image, creating this wonderful abstract pattern. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The insistent, almost overwhelming, linearity in the falling rain is key. Note how Hiroshige deploys these myriad parallel lines, contrasted by the dark, dense forms of the figures huddled below. This technique denies a clear recession of space and instead creates a dynamic surface tension. Editor: So, it’s more about the pattern than the depth? Curator: Precisely. Observe how the artist uses colour – the blues and greens of the figures’ attire – as visual anchors within this cascade of rain. The colour, much like the composition, acts as a surface element. What do you make of the almost diagrammatic quality of the trees? Editor: They also emphasize the verticality and contribute to that overall flatness, which is interesting given this is a landscape! Curator: Indeed. Also note the interplay between the solidity of the bridge and the trees in the middle ground and the ethereal quality of the downpour. Editor: The composition certainly uses visual cues such as forms, patterns, and colours rather than representing the external world. Thanks for walking me through your methodology, so I can appreciate the print as an artistic whole! Curator: My pleasure. The print becomes an act of decoding the artist’s intention using structure and form.