Mount Fuji seen from Tagonoura before 1893

This photograph, "Mount Fuji seen from Tagonoura," was created by Kazumasa Ogawa using the phototype printing process. The composition is structured by a horizontal division between the water, which dominates the foreground, and the distant, ethereal form of Mount Fuji. The photograph invites us to reflect on the nature of representation itself. The stark monochromatic tones flatten the image, emphasizing the interplay between light and shadow. The mirrored surface of the water not only reflects the landscape but also acts as a signifier of duplication and the complexities inherent in visual perception. Here, water acts as a mediating element that blurs the boundary between reality and image, challenging our understanding of the real. Ogawa's photograph provides a moment of contemplation on how we perceive and interpret the world through signs and images. It reminds us that art is not merely a reflection but a construction.