Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjÅ«rokkei) c. 20th century

Curator: Hokusai's "Under the Wave off Kanagawa," from his "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji" series, is a potent image. The print showcases dynamic composition and bold graphic style. Editor: My goodness, the sheer scale of that wave—it's almost predatory! I wonder about the lives of the fishermen in those small boats, their labor so vulnerable against such a powerful force of nature. Curator: The work exemplifies ukiyo-e's mastery of line and color. Consider how Hokusai uses Prussian blue, recently imported, to depict the gradation of the water, creating depth. Editor: And how the labor-intensive process of woodblock printing democratized art, making it accessible to a wider audience, a stark contrast to the elite art forms of the time. This piece speaks volumes about the precariousness of life. Curator: Precisely. The wave is not merely a depiction of nature, but also a symbolic representation of power, resilience, and perhaps even the sublime. It encapsulates complex formal elements. Editor: I'm left thinking about the countless hands involved in its creation, from the papermakers to the printers—a collective effort that belies the individual genius we attribute to Hokusai. Food for thought.