Seki 1906

Editor: So, this is Hiroshige’s “Seki,” a woodblock print from 1906. I’m immediately drawn to its kind of quiet hustle and bustle. All these people, but it’s very subdued. It feels like a captured moment in a play almost, very fleeting. What catches your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: Fleeting indeed! I see a story, or rather, the *suggestion* of one, woven into a commonplace scene. The arrangement of people isn't random. Hiroshige creates such an effect of theatrical artifice here, like each figure has a defined role, contributing to a narrative only he seems to fully grasp, but generously teases us with. Almost voyeuristic, no? Do you think the subtle hues aid that feeling of a twilight narrative? Editor: Oh, definitely! The pale blues and grays almost mute the scene, giving it that hazy memory feeling. And you're right, everyone *does* seem to be playing a part. Is this typical for Ukiyo-e prints from this time period? Curator: To some extent, yes, depicting the everyday was certainly en vogue! But what Hiroshige brought to it was a poetic, deeply personal slant. See how he blurs the lines between pure landscape and genre painting. Consider, he’s not just showing us Seki; he’s filtering it through the prism of his own experience, transforming a simple post stop to something rather melancholic. That soft watercolour washes a veil. I think it's an absolutely crucial effect. Editor: Melancholic is the perfect word! I didn't catch that initially, but now I completely see it. Thanks, this was much more than I expected from this work at first sight. Curator: Ah, so glad! These old works have that amazing power to echo the artists' past in our present. Every look brings some change.