Back View of Fuji from the Minobu River (Minobu-gawa ura Fuji), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjÅ«rokkei) c. 1831

Editor: This is Hokusai's "Back View of Fuji from the Minobu River," part of his Thirty-Six Views series. It's a woodblock print, and it feels so much grander than its actual size. What captures your imagination most when you look at it? Curator: Oh, the way Hokusai plays with perspective! Fuji is almost shyly peeking from behind those other mountains. I imagine him chuckling, saying, "See if you can spot me!" It’s like a visual riddle, isn’t it? And those tiny figures in the foreground, dwarfed by the landscape...it's an invitation to contemplate our place in the world. Editor: I never thought of it as a riddle, more like a gentle invitation. Curator: Exactly! Art's all about perspective, isn't it? Hokusai’s just nudging us to see things a little differently.