Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) Katsushika Hokusai was born in Edo (now Tokyo). He is one of the outstanding figures of the Ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world" (everyday life), school of printmaking. He was extremely prolific, producing about 30,000 paintings, prints, and drawings. Like many Japanese artists of the 18th and 19th centuries, he made his living mainly from color prints made from engraved woodblocks. One of his most famous series is "Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji." (circa 1826-33). Hokusai's work later became well-known outside Asia, and he influenced the Impressionist artists with his technically beautiful observances of life and landscapes. Hokusai used more than 50 names on his work, which included book illustrations and printed cards. |
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"Great Wave Off Kanagawa" reproduced here on the front of TRADE WINDS, a gift shop in Columbus, Ohio (mural by Paul Volker and Jill Hurley, c.1980). |
Volker's Wave |
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