Katsushika Hokusai Biography
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is one of the most famous Japanese artists ever. This highly talented and skilled painter and printmaker is known for his fascinating portraits of the landscapes, people, society and customs of Japan in the 18th and 19th centuries, during the Meiji Restoration period.
Hokusai was an extremely multifaceted figure, not only known for his exceptional ukiyo-é style prints (which translates as "images from the floating world" in Japanese), but also for his artistic production in the fields of painting, graphics and illustration .
Born into a family of artisans in what is now Tokyo, he began painting as a young man and became an apprentice to a wood carver as a teenager. At the age of 18, he was accepted into the studio of Katsukawa Shunsho, an artist of the ukiyo-e style, who focused on depicting the growing merchant class, including courtesans, Kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers. After Shunsho's death, Hokusai began to experiment with other artistic styles, including Western ones.
During his lifetime, Hokusai was recognized as the leading expert on Chinese painting in Japan. He is best known for the woodblock print series 36 Views of Mount Fuji, which includes the iconic image, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
Hokusai had a profound impact on Western art. Artists such as Édouard Manet, Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh were greatly inspired by his prints
