Settsu no Tamagawa, Number Three, from the series The Six Crystal Rivers (Roku Tamagawa) 

Editor: So, here we have *Settsu no Tamagawa, Number Three, from the series The Six Crystal Rivers* by Utagawa Sadakage. It's this intriguing woodblock print. I’m struck by the sort of wistful, almost melancholic mood. What do you make of it? Curator: It breathes, doesn't it? Sadakage, oh, he captures something profoundly human here. The *ukiyo-e* tradition often idealized beauty, but he gives us something more complex. Look at the figures, seemingly caught in a moment of reflection. The man up in the tree looks troubled, a stark contrast with the beauty surrounding him. Editor: So it's not just about pretty pictures? Curator: Heavens no! It's a narrative, a poem even. The contrast is what pulls you in. What stories do you think they are telling themselves?