Our interest in art continues to grow and we have plenty to learn (only ever a glorious thing). Previously we've covered Hokusai's The Great Wave Off Kanagawa (circa 1830) on our other blog. Now we've delving further into this legend's extensive canon.
Hokusai's Fuji (2023) is a brilliant collection of hundreds of woodblock masterpieces.
It's one of the beautiful books we've ever seen, featuring a crisp distinctive front cover with light blues and white and all leading through to a compendium of the great man's work. Let's explore this books imagery and words then, as overseen by the work's editor Wada Kyoko.
Ukiyo-e Masterpieces With Views of Hokusai's Fuji
"What sets Hokusai apart from other artists is his wit and his convincing, detailed compositions. Many of the scenes he drew were entirely plausible, though it would be difficult to claim that he drew from life. Mount Fuji as depicted by Hokusai was somehow painterly."
Whilst Hokusai (1760-1849) is famous for The Great Wave, his body of work is vast. Believe it or not, but he produced over 30,000 sketches, paintings, and woodblock prints. In his elderly years, when facing financial hardship, he wrote in a letter that he was:
"I am writing this in my old age. I used to call myself Hokusai, but today I sign myself The Old Man Mad About Drawing."
A large proportion of the work focusses on Thirty-six Views of Fuji, which features the famous Great Wave and other masterpieces such as Fine Wind, Clear Morning (circa 1832).
Mount Fuji is a symbol of Japan—those living under its immensity seem bewitched by it. This vast, ancient volcano with a snow capped peak looms large 62 miles southwest of Tokyo.
As sprawling and enormous as that city is, Mount Fuji's presence seems to dwarf all around it.
Keep in mind the meticulous woodblock printing method behind Hokusai's work. We've run this video before on PM, but it's always welcome to include it again. The meticulous process for a beautiful end result is aways inspiring to watch.
The constant results of which are what make Hokusai's Fuji a rather epic art book.
Hokusai was playful with all of this. Sometimes the volcano is off in the distance as a mere speck. Almost as if it's there as an afterthought in the print.
Hokusai and the Laws of Perspective for an Emotional Response
One of the most intriguing chapters in Hokusai's Fuji is a look at the take on perspective the artist had. Hokusai and the Laws of Perspective is written by Fuse Hideto and closes out the work.
Looking across the artist's various takes on the volcano, it does often take on different forms. Sometimes it's blue, otherwise brown, or as with The Great Wave it appears to merge with the ocean and swell with the tide. The work chosen on the front cover of this book shows Fuji beak-like breaking through the barrier of its artistic perimeter. Nothing could hold this mountain back!
On these different perspectives, Hideto has this to say.
"Hokusai has not only drawn Fuji so large that it dominates the whole picture, but since the viewpoint is low, he also emphasises the height of the mountain by creating the illusion of looking up. When Mount Fuji is placed in a high position in the picture, the viewpoint is also high, creating the sense of a bird's-eye view. When Fuji is positioned in the middle of the picture, the viewpoint is at horizon height. When you focus on the position of (the foot of) the mountain and look at the variety of expressions in the pictures in Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, the scenery acquires a sense of depth and the landscape seems to expand."
Hideto notes this leads to a sense of happiness to be "within" the world the artist has created.
In Closing: Notes on Mount Fuji
Whilst here in England we've got Scafell Pike in the Lake District, it pales in comparison to the stunning Mount Fuji (富士山) and its sweeping surroundings. We mean, look at that! No wonder Hokusai dedicated a huge chunk of his life in creative adoration of the thing.
The volcano is active with its last eruption date on December 16th 1707 (the Hōei eruption event).
Fuji is part of Japan's Three Holy Mountains (三霊山—Sanreizan) alongside Tate and Haku. From written history, we know it had its name as early as the 9th century. The name appears in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, which is a piece of Japanese folklore.
Tourism wise, you can actually climb the mountain! We plan to visit Japan at some point in the years ahead and this would be of massive interest, naturally, although we don't like doing the most predictable tourist things. 300,000 people climbed the thing in 2009 and it turns an iconic landmark into a theme park ride.
Yet Mount Fuji resides over all. In 1,000 years it'll be there, our eventual visit or not an irrelevance, and it'll continue to inspire those who gawp at it.
And we do hope Hokusai's work continues to be of importance even then.
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