hokusai self portrait (1839)
it's perhaps fair to say that of all the japanese woodcut artists, hokusai is the most well-known and widely venerated. his iconic image "the great wave of konagawa" seen here -
- is instantly recognizable from its inclusion in so many artbooks and in association with so many sites devoted to japanese culture.
here is another iconic hokusai image taken from a series he did of mount fuli. this one is entitled "red fuji southern wind clear morning".
hokusai was born into an artisan's family and clearly benefitted from the perspective of his father who placed him into apprenticeship with a woodcarver at the age of fourteen.
you really should watch this this beautifully drawn short film on hokusai.
if you enjoyed that, you might also enjoy this video gallery of hokusai's work.
and the current fan-favourite around the golden fish world headquarters water cooler:
"carp leaping up a cascade"
2 comments:
Hokusai's "great wave" is probably included in just about every book and course on art. It wasn't until the last twenty-five years or so that I learned enough to appreciate the intricacies and deftness of hand required to produce such works of art via wood block.
A very nice presentation, Steven. Thank you for sharing it with us.
hi goldenrod! i think i first saw hokusai's great wave in high school but maybe even earlier than that. what an amazing talent regardless.
steven
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