Ono no Komachi c. 1830s

Editor: This is "Ono no Komachi," a woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige from the 1830s. It's currently held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. I’m struck by the melancholy mood – she looks lonely amidst the pretty landscape. How do you interpret this work? Curator: That’s interesting – I also feel a sense of quiet contemplation, almost longing. Hiroshige wasn't just making pretty pictures, was he? This is from a series called "One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse," right? So each print depicts a poem, and in this case, it references Ono no Komachi, a famous poet from the Heian period. Editor: Oh, so the woman in the print is meant to *be* Ono no Komachi? Curator: Potentially. More accurately, she’s *inspired* by the poet. We’re seeing Komachi re-imagined through the lens of Edo-period sensibilities, you know? It’s a romanticised portrait within a picturesque landscape. What catches your eye about the composition? Editor: I like the waterfall in the background and the cherry blossoms; they create a dreamy, otherworldly feeling. Curator: Absolutely! And notice how Hiroshige uses the landscape – the sweeping hill, the cascade – to draw your eye towards her. The poetry inscribed near the top becomes part of that effect. It's a visual and literary poem all in one. Ukiyo-e prints were really something, weren’t they? They captured a transient beauty. Editor: Yeah, that blend of text and image really adds a lot. I always thought of Hiroshige as mainly a landscape artist, but seeing this portrait with the integrated scenery, I get a better sense of his range. Curator: Right? There's always a story within the scenery. We’ve unearthed a lot from one image here, I think! Editor: Definitely, I see Hiroshige in a completely different way now! Thanks!