SMALL SERIES OF THE 53 STATIONS OF THE TOKAIDO, "GOYU". STATION NO. 36 c. 19th century

Curator: This is Utagawa Hiroshige's "Goyu," Station No. 36, from his Small Series of the 53 Stations of the Tokaido. Editor: I’m immediately struck by the texture – the visible woodblock lines, the layering of colors. It feels very grounded in its making. Curator: Absolutely. Hiroshige was a master of ukiyo-e, "pictures of the floating world," but his work also provides insight into Edo period travel and its social dynamics. We see figures resting, workers carrying goods... Editor: And that shared experience of the road, accessible to various social strata. The journey itself, as a process, becomes a sort of leveling agent, doesn't it? It highlights the material conditions of travel while depicting a shared human experience. Curator: A poignant reminder of the intersection between commerce, labor, and everyday life in 19th century Japan. Editor: Indeed. It's beautiful, and yet also a testament to the labor that underpinned the period’s aesthetics. Curator: A rich reminder that art always exists within a complex web of social and material relations. Editor: Precisely, it encourages us to consider the stories of those who made this journey possible.