Totsuka 1906

This is "Totsuka," a woodblock print made by Utagawa Hiroshige, who was knocking around in Japan in the early 1800s. Hiroshige had this way of making color feel like feeling—the muted blues and grays aren’t just descriptive; they’re expressive. It’s like he's handing you a mood, not just a picture. I'm drawn to the way Hiroshige simplifies the landscape, turning it into these almost abstract shapes. Look at the trees on the hill; they're not trying to be real trees. Instead, he uses them as these dark, blobby shapes to anchor the composition. This print reminds me a bit of some of the landscapes of Emil Nolde in the early 20th century. Though their palettes are very different—Nolde's are more lurid—both artists capture a sense of space and light through flattened forms and bold color choices. I think art is always talking to other art, across time and place. What I love about this piece is its quiet confidence, saying so much with very little.