Swimming At Oiso, Distant View Of Mount Fuji

According to John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, “The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe.” (Berger, 8) An object or a symbol from one period of time could mean another in a time today. Swimming at Oiso, Distant View of Mount Fuji by Utagawa Kokunimasa is a triptych made during the Meiji period (1868-1962) typically utilized as an altarpiece during the Meiji period in Japan. On the surface, this painting represents the transformation of the kimono throughout history. From early 1600s to late 1800s, Kimonos were common garments worn by Japanese women in everyday setting. After the western influence on Japan, Kimonos became less common and trendy outfit and it is now worn mainly for special occasions. Utilizing Berger’s approach to observing art, the painting revolves around the theme of change in culture. The woman in the purple kimono is going through a cultural identity
We can observe the cultural identity crisis of the woman in the purple kimono from the wide array of elements presented in the painting. At the first glance of the painting, I see women enjoying their time at the Oiso beach. When I see the painting as a whole, I see the painting as a landscape of the Oiso beach surrounded by the distant view of Mount Fuji. The details of Mount Fuji are clouded by the fog that encircle the mountains and what the audience see are the outlines of it. I see a few women having a conversation while letting the waves push them around and far back in the background where the rest of the women are shying away from the open water and enjoying the scenery lying down on the warm sand of the Oiso beach. I also notice an old woman wearing a hybrid type of clothing, where her outfit consists of