Famous Scenes of Edo in the Four Seasons: Sumida River in Snow c. 1843 - 1847

Editor: So, this is Utagawa Hiroshige's woodblock print of the Sumida River in snow. It's wonderfully serene, almost dreamlike. What draws your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: It's the aliveness in the stillness, isn't it? Those blue-grey washes, the delicate flakes – it's like Hiroshige’s inviting us to feel the hush of a winter's day in Edo. Notice how he's used the blank space, the negative space, to suggest the density of the snowfall. Editor: Yes, it does feel immersive! Curator: The figures are so small, yet their presence is keenly felt. There's an everyday quality to it, almost as if he simply captured a moment in time. What do you make of that contrast between the vastness of the scene and the intimacy of the human element? Editor: I hadn't considered that! It makes the landscape feel even more powerful. Curator: Precisely. It’s a reminder of our place within the larger world, a world that keeps turning, even when cloaked in snow. What a gift, to see with Hiroshige’s eyes for a moment.