Travelers Passing by Mt. Fuji/ Yoshiwara, from the series Exhaustive Illustrations of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojÅ«santsugi ezukushi) Possibly 1810

Curator: Immediately I’m struck by the light in this piece. The colors create a feeling of warmth. Editor: This is "Travelers Passing by Mt. Fuji/Yoshiwara," part of Katsushika Hokusai's "Exhaustive Illustrations of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō" series. It is a woodblock print, and depicts travelers on the road with Mt. Fuji in the background. Curator: It feels smaller, more intimate than I expected, given the grandeur of the subject, the mountain itself. Editor: It's interesting to consider how Hokusai situates these figures within the landscape, dwarfed perhaps, highlighting the human scale against the backdrop of nature. Also, the mountain casts a light and shadow in an area known as a pleasure district. Curator: Right, the positioning and journey have everything to do with this. A landscape is never just a landscape. Editor: Exactly. It embodies socio-political complexities of the time, gender, and race. Curator: Yes, this piece gives us a glimpse into the everyday lives and journeys of people traversing the Tōkaidō, while subtly acknowledging the cultural context of their travels. Editor: A beautiful intersection of personal narrative and broader societal forces.