Fuji Carved (Kizami no Fuji): Detatched page from One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei) Vol. 2 Possibly 1835 - 1836

Curator: Looking at this work by Hokusai, I feel a quiet, almost meditative energy. It's from his "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji," titled "Fuji Carved," a detached page held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Carved, yes, that’s exactly the feeling. The bold lines and stark contrasts lend a sense of monumentality to the everyday scene. What's the context here? Curator: Hokusai is showing us the process of carving stone, suggesting that even the mighty Fuji is shaped by human hands. The mountain is there in the background and we see artisans working on stone, framed by scaffolding. Editor: So, it’s about humanity shaping nature, not the other way around, as we often see with Fuji prints. Hokusai seems to flip the script. I wonder what this says about his view on progress versus tradition? Curator: Perhaps. I think he's celebrating labor and the persistent interaction between people and the landscape, inviting us to contemplate how these acts construct our perception of even the most iconic symbols. Editor: I see it as less of a celebration and more of a reflection on the constant tension between human intervention and the natural world. Food for thought!