FURYU GENJI, TSUKUDA Possibly 1853

Editor: This is Utagawa Hiroshige’s "FURYU GENJI, TSUKUDA" from the Harvard Art Museums. The stillness of the water and the cool blues create such a calm, contemplative mood. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Consider how Hiroshige positions us. We are looking *at* leisure, at the ships, the moon. Who is allowed this privilege, this pause? The rigid verticality and writing push against the perceived calm, perhaps pointing to a codified structure governing even leisure. Who gets to experience leisure freely? Editor: So, the art is hinting at societal structures. I hadn't thought of that! Curator: Exactly! And how those structures affect people's lives and access. Editor: That makes me see the artwork in a completely new way. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Art invites us to consider our shared humanity, doesn't it?