Katsushika Hokusai, after 'Crowds at the Height of Cherry Blossoms'
Wood block print. Alternative title 'Crowds at Yatsuyama to See the Cherry Blossom in Full Bloom' (Perspective View) — 新板浮絵八ッ山花盛群集之図. Image 22 x 35 cm. Frame 36.5 x 49 cm.
Wear. Holes. Stains. Not examined out of the frame.
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This print was conserved with the support of the Robert F. Lange Foundation. This print depicts the beautiful spring scenery with cherry blossoms at Yatsuyama Mountain in the district of Shinagawa, part of present-day Tokyo. Known during the Edo period for its cherry blossoms and the Zen temple Tökaiji, Shinagawa was also a bustling way station and the southern gateway in and out of the city of Edo. In this print the street vendors, crowds of people, and boats loaded with cargo illustrate the busy town's atmosphere. At the same time, the delicate use of various shades of pink in the misty clouds and cherry blossoms lend a sense of tranquility to the scene. According to art historian Wakasugi Junji, by obstructing some areas of a print, misty clouds such as these allow the viewer to imagine what is beyond them.
More about Katsushika Hokusai
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is considered one of the greatest artists in Japanese history, and one of the important masters of the Japanese woodblock print. He was the son of the mirror maker Nakajima Issai and was born in 1760 into a family of craftsmen where he reportedly started drawing as early as six years old. Trained as a woodcarver, Hokusai was an apprentice to the artist and printmaker Katsugawa Shunsho, but was forced to quit seven years later as he had his own ideas about art. Hokusai questioned the strict Japanese principles for images and tested new techniques and perspectives and was not recognized until his 40s. He created the series 'Fugaku sanju-rokkei' (Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji), between 1830-1832, over seventy years old. The series actually consists of 46 views, including the world famous 'Under the waves off Kanagawa'. Hokusai's pictures came to Europe, along with the works of other Japanese woodcut artists, in the latter part of the 19th century and came to influence many of the Western world's most important artists.
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