Picture Book of Comic Poems, Mountains Upon Mountains (Ehon kyōka yama mata yama), vol. 3 1804

Curator: This image comes from Katsushika Hokusai's *Picture Book of Comic Poems, Mountains Upon Mountains*, one volume in a series of books by the celebrated 19th-century artist. Editor: What strikes me first is the depiction of labor—the weight these figures bear, the texture of their garments, and the tools they carry. Curator: Absolutely, and consider the context. Hokusai, living through a period of significant social and political change, presents working-class subjects navigating their daily lives. Editor: The materiality of the woodblock printing is key. Each line, each color block, speaks to the labor involved in its creation and dissemination, a real contrast with elite art forms. Curator: And it’s hard to ignore the hints of performance embedded within the narrative; the figure under the dragon costume, the musician. It adds layers of complexity to Hokusai's commentary on the human condition. Editor: For me, it’s a valuable reminder that art emerges from and speaks to the everyday struggles and joys of ordinary people. Curator: Agreed. The artwork provides an important lens through which we can view class, identity, and the performance of self in 19th-century Japan.