ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Katsushika Hokusai
Hokusai was a Japanese artist (painter, print maker) born October 31, 1760 in Edo, Japan under the name Kawamuro Tokitaro. Having the tendency to change his name many times *more than 30* over the years of his career he's better known as Katsushika Hokusai or just Hokusai. Even if you don't know the name you've surely seen his work at least once.
His most notable work being "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa" or "The Great Wave" (1831). This piece has been recreated time and time again throughout the years. It comes from a set of woodblock paintings created by Hokusai in his 60s over the course of two years known as "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji". Mt Fuji being only a mountain to us was seen as something more special and spiritual to the inhabitants in the surrounding area of it then and even to this day.
With many different meanings of it, the series more or less depicts daily life or landscapes around Edo or in Japan in general with Mt Fuji included in each 36 pieces being the small or big detail binding the series together.
Hokusai was obsessed with constantly bettering his work and skills. He had high visions of only getting better with each year that passed in his life and in a way saw no end to it as long as he had the passion to keep going. Often considering a lot of his past pieces not anything of note unless it was something of recent, a classic hardened critique of his own work like so many others like him. Facing more than a rough patch in his life during the creation of the series well into his sixties, Hokusai was able to push through and create work that breathes his life well past his own time and into the future for all generations that come to see and rightfully enjoy. He passed away May 10 1849 in Tokyo, Japan
Living in Washington State surrounded by so much nature, having a giant mountain in view constantly and as well as seattle being a sister city of Kobe Japan 1 find a lot of relations to the art. The series really resonates with me as really giving an appreciation to the world around you and how small we are in it. Growing up in Alaska as well as here, preservation of the outdoors is a bigger priority forthe states and its people. It's easy to get caught up in the world and it's problems as well as your own. But if you get so consumed with your tunnel vision in life you could completely miss out on your surroundings and the real beauty of it all.
Below I'll put some links in order for you to learn a little more about Hokusai as well as view his work.
