Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) Japanese, Woodblock Print. Titled "The Great Wave" in English in pencil bottom left. Attributed in English in pencil bottom right. 

One of the most iconic images in history, capturing the view of Mount Fuji in the distance while a tsunami bears down upon Japan and people in boats hold on for dear life. Kanji upper left in image. 

Condition: Good. 

Overall Size: 22 x 18 in. 

Sight Size: 14 x 9 in. 

Katsushika Hokusai was born in October 1760 to a family of artisans in Edo (modern day Tokyo). He began painting around the age of six, perhaps learning from his father, whose work included the painting of designs around mirrors he made for the shōgun. At the age of 12 his father sent him to work in a bookshop and lending library, where he was first exposed to books made from woodcut blocks. Two years later he worked as an apprentice to a woodcarver until the age of 18, when he entered the studio of ukiyo-e artist Katsukawa Shunshō. Swiftly taking to the style, he changed his name (for the first time) and began to eclipse his master almost immediately with his prints. Hokusai was known by at least thirty names during his lifetime, and while the use of multiple names was a common practice of Japanese artists of the time, his number of pseudonyms far exceeds that of any other major Japanese artist. His name changes are so frequent, and so often related to changes in his artistic production and style, that they are often used by art historians for breaking his life up into periods. He is best known for the woodblock print series “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji,” which includes the iconic print “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa.” Hokusai was instrumental in developing ukiyo-e from a style of portraiture largely focused on courtesans and actors into a much broader style of art that focused on landscapes, plants, and animals. His works are thought to have had a significant influence on Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet during the wave of Japonisme that spread across Europe in the late 19th Century. Hokusai was best known for his woodblock ukiyo-e prints, but he worked in a variety of mediums including painting and book illustration. In a long and successful career Hokusai produced over 30,000 paintings, sketches, woodblock prints, and images for picture books in total. In 1839, a fire tragically destroyed Hokusai’s studio and much of his work. By this time, his career was beginning to fade as younger artists such as Andō Hiroshige became increasingly popular. He spent his last decade in Obuse in Shinano Province (now Nagano Prefecture) at the invitation of a wealthy farmer. Hokusai continued working right up to the day of his death on May 10th, 1849. Constantly seeking to produce better work, he apparently exclaimed on his deathbed, “If only Heaven will give me just another ten years. Just another five more years, then I could become a real painter!” Innovative in his compositions, exceptional in his drawing technique, and cited as an inspiration to artists all over the world in multiple mediums, styles, and eras, Hokusai is considered one of the greatest masters in the history of art. 

#5812 . 

Good.