Fuji behind a Net (Amiura no Fuji): Detatched page from One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei) Vol. 3 c. 1835 - 1847

Curator: Hokusai's "Fuji behind a Net," a detached page from his "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji," now resides at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a small work on paper. What's your immediate take? Editor: Well, it's so intimate, almost voyeuristic. Like we're peeking through a fisherman's net at this iconic symbol. There's a quiet stillness, a sense of reverence, but also of everyday life. Curator: Exactly. Hokusai masterfully uses the net as both a compositional element and a narrative device. The work prompts us to consider our own perspectives and the mediated ways we often perceive the world, especially culturally significant monuments like Mount Fuji. Editor: It makes me think about how symbols get constructed and how easily we can be separated from direct experience. Are we ever truly seeing the thing itself, or just our idea of it? I love that Hokusai makes us question that. Curator: Indeed. And the work subtly comments on the place of the artist within society. Hokusai’s focus on daily life, particularly the lives of commoners, democratizes art, making it accessible. Editor: It's a gentle reminder, isn't it? To find beauty in the ordinary, and maybe question the nets we build around ourselves. Curator: Ultimately, Hokusai challenges us to look beyond the surface. Editor: And to get out of the boat once in a while!