Three Festivals in the Year of the Earth-Sheep Possibly 1799

Curator: This is Katsushika Hokusai's "Three Festivals in the Year of the Earth-Sheep," a woodblock print now residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It has a quiet, almost dreamlike quality to it. The soft colors and hazy atmosphere are really striking. Curator: Hokusai, born in 1760, captures a serene landscape, likely reflecting the Edo period's reverence for nature. I'm interested in how the composition highlights the blend of rural life and the natural world. Editor: The thatched roofs and the figures walking along the path—they all seem to be moving toward some unseen sacred space. Is there a deeper symbolic connection between the festivals and the landscape here? Curator: Absolutely. The festivals themselves would have been deeply tied to agricultural cycles and community well-being. Hokusai is invoking this sense of harmonious social order. Editor: It's a beautiful snapshot of a society deeply connected to its rituals and its environment. Curator: Indeed. I’m now thinking about how these images played a role in shaping cultural identity. Editor: For me, the enduring allure lies in its ability to evoke a sense of peace, connecting us to a timeless past.