Katsushika Hokusai

The Great Wave off Kanagawa

It belongs to the series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji".

💡 Did you know? „The Great Wave“ is today one of the most famous images in the world: it even features on an emoji and the Japanese passport.

colour woodblock print

Hokusai was a master of the Japanese colour woodblock print (ukiyo-e), in which a separate block is cut for each colour.

💡 Did you know? A single ukiyo-e print was a team effort: the artist drew, a carver cut the blocks, a printer printed.

Japan

Hokusai worked in the city of Edo (today Tokyo) during the secluded Edo period.

💡 Did you know? Over his life Hokusai moved house more than 90 times and used over 30 different artist names.

Japonism (influence on the Impressionists)

When Japan opened up in the 19th century, Hokusai's prints set off a wave of enthusiasm in Europe: „Japonisme.“

💡 Did you know? Monet, Van Gogh and Degas collected Japanese prints and adopted their bold framing and flat colours.

from the "Hokusai Manga"

Hokusai published sketchbooks full of figures, animals and everyday scenes that he called „manga“ (casual pictures).

💡 Did you know? Over his life he changed his artist's name more than 30 times.

almost 90 (1849)

He worked tirelessly at his art to the very end.

💡 Did you know? On his deathbed at nearly 90, Hokusai is said to have declared that with another ten years he would have become a „true painter.“

The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Around 1830: one of the best-known images in the world.

💡 Did you know? Tiny boats battle the giant wave while Fuji rests small in the background: nature against humankind.

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji

Painted around 1830.

💡 Did you know? The series shows sacred Fuji from 36 (ultimately 46) viewpoints: Hokusai made it aged over 70.

Fine Wind, Clear Morning (Red Fuji)

Around 1830: the "Red Fuji" from the Mount Fuji series.

💡 Did you know? The mountain glows reddish in the morning light: a rare natural sight the Japanese call „Aka-Fuji.“

Hokusai Manga (sketchbooks)

Painted around 1814.

💡 Did you know? These sketchbooks are regarded as the source of the name for today's Japanese comics.

Lightnings below the Summit

Painted around 1831.

💡 Did you know? From the Fuji series: lightning flashes below the calm summit.

One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji

A three-volume book in which Hokusai worked Fuji into more than a hundred everyday scenes.

💡 Did you know? Here Hokusai set down his famous wish to grow very old so as to paint ever better.

Kajikazawa in Kai Province

Painted around 1831.

💡 Did you know? A fisherman casts his line in the mist: Fuji is woven firmly into the composition.

Sundai in Edo

Painted around 1831.

💡 Did you know? From the Fuji series: bustling city life with the distant mountain on the horizon.

Lake Suwa in Shinano Province

Painted around 1831.

💡 Did you know? A tranquil lake scene from the Fuji series, in cool shades of blue.

One Hundred Ghost Stories

A series of colour woodblock prints of Japanese ghost and horror tales.

💡 Did you know? Hokusai completed only five of the planned hundred ghost pictures; they are among the earliest „horror“ prints.

Katsushika Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai (1760 to 1849) was a Japanese master of the colour woodblock print, whose „Great Wave“ is one of the best-known images in the world.

💡 Did you know? Hokusai worked tirelessly into old age: he believed his best works still lay ahead of him the older he grew.