Title : Portrait of Hokusai As An Old Man Attributed to Hokusai (1760-1849)

Artist : Katsushika Hokusai

Date : 1900

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Source : Honolulu Museum of Art
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Description : An old man leans on a staff; he is clad in an old kimono, checkered jacket, and wears straw sandals. Published by Kobayashi Bunshichi of Tokyo in 1900; it is based on a drawing in his own collection attributed to Hokusai. This drawing was likely completed when Hokusai was 83 years old. Critics disagree on the attribution of the original drawing. The print shows, however, an old, extraordinary-looking, and strong-willed man of the type we understand Hokusai to have been. The original drawing is now in the Musee Guimet, in Paris. During his life span, Hokusai changed his artistic name more than ten times. However, his style may generally be divided into six periods: 1. Shunrö period (1779-94) 2. Söri period (1795-98) 3. Hokusai Tokimasa and Gakyöjin period (1798-1809) 4. Taito period (1810-19) 5. Iitsu period (1820-33) 6. Gakyö Röjin Manji period (1834-49) In each period Hokusai tried to produce different work. Although usually known as a landscape polychrome print artist due to his highly successful series, “Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji ”(1830-34), Hokusai did not restrict himself to that genre. He also created yakusha-e (actor prints), bijinga (pictures of beautiful women), various surimono (prints made for special occasions), uki-e (perspective prints), and paintings. (from Hokusai His Students exhibition 1/30/2007-) ************************ This print was made in the Meiji period, over fifty years after Hokusai's death. It was based on a drawing in the collection of the publisher, noted ukiyo-e expert and former dealer Kobayashi Bunshichi, which was attributed to Hokusai as a self-portrait. Although there is dispute as to whether the drawing was actually done by Hokusai, the resolute yet sensitive man depicted here in his later years, humbly dressed, nevertheless gives us a sense of the self-image that Hokusai presented to his public during the peak years of his artistic production in the last two decades of his life. “Hokusai’s Summit: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” (09/24/2009-01/06/2010) ******************************

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