Katsushika Hokusai: An Influential Figure in Art Around the World

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760 -1849) was a well-known Japanese painter and printmaker from the Edo period, especially for his woodblock print series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji that includes the world-renowned iconic print The Great Wave of Kanagawa. As an influential figure in art around the world, this art exhibition will cover the periods before the peak of the artist’s career, an extensive analysis of some of his most famous works, the influence of western perspective, as well as his influence beyond the Japanese border.

During his lifetime, Hokusai has accumulated over thirty different names where his names often correspond with the changes in his artistic style, thus making it useful to divide his life into significant periods. Focusing on the beginnings of his career is the Shunrō period, the Sōri period, and the Hokusai period. Between 1779 and 1795,

artworks created would be signed under the name Shunrō, given to him when he

studied at the Katsukawa studio (Yonemura, 2). Leaving the Katsukawa circle, Hokusai then joined the Tawaraya school where he adopted the name Sōri in early 1795 until 1798. The year 1798 was a turning point when Hokusai determined to become an independent artist and acquired the name that he is most known for which ran until 1819 (Calza, 126).

One of Hokusai’s most famous collections of art during his lifetime was the Hokusai Manga which spanned 15 volumes. This collection was first inspired when Hokusai traveled to Nagoya in 1813 to visit Gekkōtei Bokusen, who later became a pupil of Hokusai and also pushed him to publish the Hokusai Manga with encouragement from the publisher Eirakuya Tōshirō (Princeton University Library). These volumes depicted almost everything from the heavens to the earth along with his personal ideas of art. For example, scenes of daily life, plants, deities, ghosts, and many many more. Over the next 64 years the remainder of the 14 prints were published, with the last three published after Hokusai’s death (Princeton University Library). There is much debate whether or not the last 2 volumes should be considered a part of the Hokusai Manga series because most of the work depicted came from his students (Princeton University Library).

Another Hokusai’s famous work was the “Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuji” (1830-1832). This series marked a significant change in his style and was considered the height of his career when Hokusai turned seventy years old. This landscape series depicted Mount Fuji from multiple viewpoints, different locations, and in various seasons and weather conditions inspired by the beauty of Edo. Each image in this series reflects his vast knowledge about the observation of the natural, experiment with European perspectival and spatial techniques, and using new Prussian blue color (Francesco, 2018).

The most renowned woodblock print from the series "Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuji," "The Great Wave" or "Under the Wave off Kanagawa," is arguably the most recognizable work of Japanese art in the world.  When The Great Wave was first released, the print quickly became a best-seller, with modern estimates ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 copies sold. The immediate success of the publication led to the inclusion of ten more prints to the "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" series, as well as the release of a series of three illustrated books "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji." The exhibition will go into what Mount Fuji meant to Hokusai in terms of spirituality, explaining why he chose the sacred mountain as the centerpiece of his famous series. ​​

While he actively learned and was inspired by different styles such as Katsukawa, Rinpa, and even Western Art, his works also influenced other artists (Sumida Hokusai Museum). The influence spread outside of Japan especially after he passed away when Japan marked the end of a long period of isolation in 1853 (Lambourne, 24). A lot of Japanese works were shown at the Paris International Exposition in 1867 for the first time, and that became a trigger of “Japonisme” which describes the movement of the Western impressionism artists’ craze for Japanese art including hokusai’s (Lambourne, 27). Through those impressionist artists, Hokusai’s fame was increased further to the world. This exhibition will focus on a print of Hokusai “The Station of Hodogaya”, and two paintings by Western painters in the 19th century; “Four Poplars” by Claude Monet and “Chestnut Trees at Jas de Bouffan” by Paul Cézanne both probably were influenced by the Hokusai's piece directly and indirectly.

Reference

Yonemura, A., 2006. Hokusai. Freer Gallery of Art and the Author M. Sackler Gallery.

Calza, G.C., 2003. Hokusai. Phaidon Press Limited. U

Guth, C. M. E. (2015). Hokusai’s Great Wave: Biography of a Global Icon. University of Hawaii Press.

Carelli, Francesco. “Hokusai: Beyond the Great Wave.” London Journal of Primary Care, vol. 10, no. 4, Taylor & Francis, 2018, pp. 128–29, https://doi.org/10.1080/17571472.2018.1486504.

Clark, T. (2011). Hokusai’s Great Wave. British Museum Press.

Lambourne, L., (2007). Japonisme, Cultural Crossings between Japan and the West. Phaidon Press.

Berber K., (1992). Japonisme In Western Painting from Whistler to Matisse. Cambridge University Press.  

Sumida Hokusai Museum, Hokusai’s life, retrieved March 13th, 2022 from

https://hokusai-museum.jp/modules/Page/pages/view/402

Metmuseum.org. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/57390

Katsushika, H. (n.d.). Hokusai Manga v. 5. Katsushika, Hokusai. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/hokusaimangav5kats  

Jib111a_011. libmma.contentdm.oclc.org. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16028coll7/id/5742

The Trustees of Princeton University. (n.d.). Hokusai's Manga | Princeton University Library. Princeton University. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://library.princeton.edu/news/marquand/2014-12-16/hokusai%E2%80%99s-manga  

 Minneapolis Institute of Art. Retrieved March 13th, 2022 from

https://collections.artsmia.org/art/802/chestnut-trees-at-jas-de-bouffan-paul-cezanne

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/55237