Fuji boven de wolken c. 1890 - 1900

Editor: Here we have Totoya Hokkei’s “Fuji boven de wolken,” a woodblock print dating from around 1890 to 1900. It's deceptively simple, with a dreamy, ethereal quality to it, don’t you think? How does this work speak to you? Curator: It whispers secrets, really. Look closely, and you see more than just a mountain. It's Hokkei’s love letter to Fuji, rendered in such gentle lines. The "clouds" draping the peak feel more like brushstrokes of reverence. This image pulls at something deep inside, that feeling of being a small part of something infinitely larger. Ever felt that way looking up at the stars? Editor: Definitely, that overwhelming sense of scale. I guess I see it more now, with the clouds kind of embracing the mountain instead of hiding it. It almost feels alive. Is that common for ukiyo-e prints, to imbue landscapes with a personality? Curator: Absolutely! These artists weren’t just copying what they saw; they were channeling the spirit of the landscape. Fuji wasn’t just a mountain; it was a sacred entity. These works became icons through repeated, respectful depiction, transforming how a culture saw itself, one print at a time. Even now, there's a quiet radicalness to approaching the world with that level of tenderness. Editor: So it’s like each print builds on the last, deepening our connection to these places. I can certainly appreciate this one much more. Thank you! Curator: And thank you! Hopefully now others too can step back from a fast-moving world and feel something truly profound here, something real and meaningful.