Three Men by a River/ ChiryÅ«, from the series Exhaustive Illustrations of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojÅ«santsugi ezukushi) Possibly 1810

Editor: This is "Three Men by a River" or "ChiryÅ«" by Katsushika Hokusai, from his series "Exhaustive Illustrations of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō." It’s a woodblock print on paper, and I’m struck by how it depicts everyday labor. What can you tell me about the materials and the process here? Curator: Consider the woodblock print itself. How does the medium shape our understanding of accessibility and distribution of images in 19th century Japan? Editor: That makes sense! The prints could be widely shared because they were relatively easy to produce. Curator: Precisely! So, how does the artist’s choice of this medium democratize art viewing? Editor: It brings art to the masses. I’d never thought about it that way before. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure!