Katushika Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai was a magnificent Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter, and printmaker, best known for his woodblock print. His artwork made significant encroachment in Japan and the world.   

Looking for   Oil Paintings  of this famous Artist you have come to the right place.

Early life 

Katsushika Hokusai was born in 1760 to a family of artisans. His father was a mirror maker for Shogun. Hokusai's childhood was spent in wooden houses and narrow streets in an artesian community in Edo. He started learning woodblock carving from a young age and started painting when he was six years old. When Hokusai was a teenager, he lent books to earn money, but he started working as a woodblock cutter in 1774. He learned from the older artists, mainly from KatsukawaShusho, the chief of Katsukawaschool and a master in prints of courtesans and Kabuki theatre actors. When Hokusai was 19, he achieved the name Shunro, and this was the first among 30 names. At that time, artists adopted a new name after reaching a new level of artistry.

At Katsukawa's studio, the job of Hokusai was to produce images of a sumo wrestler and from prints from Kabuki. However, he wasn't the most favored, so he had to work with cheap papers and low-standard pigment. While working at Katsukawa's studio, Hokusai published his first prints in 1779. And in the same year, he got married to his first wife. Hokusai changed his name to Gunbatei again and left the studio. He started making illustrations for books, this was the time that brought changes in his life, and he moved away from prints towards images and landscapes of daily life. This change was a huge breakthrough for his career. Hokusai had three children with his first wife.

Life as an artist

In the 1790s, Hokusai parted ways with Katsukawa School, and he started exploring European traditions experimenting with linear perspective. Utagawa Toyoharu loved Hokusai's artwork, and he invited him to join his atelier. Hokusai got married to his second wife in 1997 and had two more children. In 1801 Hokusai used the name under which he's known now, singing images with the phrase "painted by the madman of painting." Hokusai was very popular for his work in everyday life as well. He kept shifting from one house to another 93 times because he hated cleaning, so he now preferred lodgings. His weird behavior was not only for interior space; he drew Chinese dragons every day and then threw them away for good luck.

At that time, Hokusai was also known for his liveliness. In 1804 at a festival in Edo, he drew a portrait of a Buddhist Monk, which was 180 meters long which he made with the help of his students using a broom. In 1807, he took part in a painting competition where he drew a landscape with birds and flowers. In the year 1810, at the age of 50, he was struck by lightning. In that year, he produced "the dream of the fisherman's wide." This painting gained attention. Some people found it disgusting, and some appreciated it as it was an exotic image.

In that decade, Hokusai produced most of his great artworks, for which he became successful. He produced two of his famous artwork; one is transmitting the essence and enlightening, and the other is random drawings by Hokusai. It was known as Hokusai manga, and it had a huge impact on Japan's manga and anime culture. The works are very popular, and it was responsible for the European trend of Japonism. In between 1804 and 1815, Hokusai collaborated with a popular novelist Takizawa. He worked on illustrated books. Hokusai was very famous for his creative illustrations, but his collaboration ended after 13 works. There are various assumptions why their collaboration ended, but different opinions and perspectives on drawing illustrations can be the major ones.

The later period of Hokusai's life

The family of Hokusai believed that he would turn out to be a great artist as he became. And the critics believed that this was the case. In 1830 he produced 36 views of Mount Fuji, and in 1831 he published bone hundred ghost stories. At this point, he changed his name to Litsu, which means "one year old." During this period, he started experimenting with new styles, and professionally he was very successful. Hokusai's personal life was not good. His second wife died in 1828, and one of his daughters died in 1821. After this, one of his daughters left her husband to live at Hokusai's home. In 1839 a fire destroyed most of the artwork. His grandson was a gambler, and his behaviors were bad. Due to this, Hokusai and his daughter left their home to live in a temple.

In 1849, Hokusai died when he was 90 years old. He created more than 30,000 paint designs in his lifetime. His last words were, "if heaven gives me just five years more, then I would become a true painter." He was buried under Seikjoji temple, and this place attracts many visitors these days.

Legacy

Hokusai's work influenced so many people in his lifetime, and it has a great influence in the present day. In Japan, his artwork brought a great opportunity for landscape, leading to a greater approach. 

Hiroshige, who was one of the great artists, was inspired by Hokusai's artwork. Hokusai achieved so many awards in various Fields as an artist. He made designs for sketches, woodblock prints, and painting for more than 70 years. 

Various styles of Chinese paintings influenced Hokusai. His popularity across the globe was great, and it started a craze of collecting Japanese art that can be seen in Paris.

Even so long after his death, the exhibitions of his artworks continued to grow. In the year 2005, Tokyo national museum held an exhibition of his artworks with the highest number of visitors than any other exhibit that year. Some artworks from the Tokyo exhibition were also exhibited in the United States. Hokusai's popularity was because of the versatility of his artwork. He adopted so many painting styles in his time. The British Museum held an exhibition of Hokusai's artwork, including "the great wave," in 2017.