Hokusai
Hokusai
Hokusai
Hokusai in Berlin
Clockwise from upper left: These first eight sketches are from a Hokusai Manga workbook published in 1818 and now owned by an individual. The drawings portray fat, ordinary men and women in a humorous light. The women are so plump they look like they are having trouble simply walking. The next five sketches, published in 1817, illustrate an efficient method of seizing a person. Notice how Hokusai framed each scene in a style that contemporary manga artists still use today. The drawings on the bottom right of this page are from a sketchbook published in 1818. The drawings, which depict people simply laying about or reading, are quite comical.
he Hokusai Retrospective exhibition in Berlin will feature a corner devoted to the Hokusai Manga series. Amid the artists rich trove of woodblock prints and other works, these sketchbooks have always found a special place in the hearts of Hokusais West European disciples. The 15th and final edition of Hokusai Manga was published posthumously in 1878, 64 years after the first edition was put out. That original collection, formally titled Denshin-kaishu Hokusai Manga, was a long seller. The book, a painting manual, really, is much more than a collection of sketches for art students to mimic. It is an anthology of more than 3,900 sketches. The drawings range from people and their body language and facial expressions to animals, insects and fish to buildings and tools to plants and nature scenes. The enormous scope attests to Katsushika Hokusais conSUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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Manga so appealing. Germany has turned out large numbers of students and major collectors of ukiyoe woodblock prints since the end of the 19th century. Now many of the countrys fine art enthusiasts will have the chance to rediscover some of Japans hidden treasures in the special Hokusai Manga exhibition.
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