Fuji from the Seashore (Kaihin no Fuji): Detatched page from One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei) Vol. 3 c. 1835 - 1847

Editor: This print feels almost dreamlike, a hazy vision. It's like seeing Mount Fuji through a veil. Curator: This is "Fuji from the Seashore," a page plucked from Hokusai's "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji." Hokusai, born in 1760, invites us to consider our relationship with nature through a lens of cultural and artistic representation. Editor: The stark contrast between the foreground and the distant Fuji is intriguing. It's a play on perspective, maybe a comment on how we perceive iconic symbols through the clutter of our lives. Curator: Precisely. Fuji, here, isn't just a mountain. It’s an emblem of Japanese identity, viewed from diverse vantage points, each laden with socio-political meaning. Hokusai challenges the conventional landscape. Editor: It makes you think about the filters we use to see the world. Curator: Indeed, and how art can disrupt those filters, inviting us to re-evaluate our place within the landscape, both literal and metaphorical.