Life
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was a painter and printmaker who rose to prominence during the Edo period in Japan. Hokusai created art in the style of Ukiyo-e, a genre which focused on showcasing objects from everyday life including kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, and landscapes.
Hokusai apprenticed as a woodblock engraver when he was 15 and became a student of ukiyo-e master, Katsukawa Shunshō, at age 18. He continued to experiment with new art styles and subjects throughout his life, and his seemingly endless amounts of energy made him a truly prolific artist.
After his death, Hokusai's art influenced the Impressionist movement, when Hokusai's work was exhibited at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in France. Shortly after, Monet, Cassatt, and Degas began to incorporate Japanese style and techniques into their art (Farago).
Shown on this page are a selection of the COD Library's resources on Hokusai's life, art, and influence.
You can read these books with your COD Library card and access digital resources by signing in with your COD username and password.
Books
Hokusai: Beyond the Great Wave
In this collection, Hokusai's work is grouped into themes related to the major spiritual and artistic quests of his life. Hokusai's personal beliefs are studied here through major brush paintings, drawings, woodblock prints and illustrated books.
Hokusai: One Hundred Poets
This lavishly illustrated, oversized (17" x 10") book brings together the last major print series of Hokusai and the Japanese poetry that inspired these beautiful prints. Each print is accompanied by the poem, in Japanese and English.
Hokusai
Information on Hokusai's life, prints and drawings, art style and characteristics.
Art of Hokusai: Explore His Life and Legacy and Learn to Paint in His Unique Style (electronic book)
Beautifully illustrated throughout, Art of Hokusai takes you through his life, his work, his inspirations, and his legacy. Then, create your own masterpieces using Hokusai's basic painting techniques as well as his unique color theory.
Videos
Films
The library has several films about Hokusai available. Students and staff will need to login to view electronic films and district residents may view them on campus. Physical DVDs can be checked out by students, staff, and district residents.
- The Eye of Hokusai (online) Katsushika Hokusai, probably the most famous Japanese painter and printmaker of his generation, worked during the Edo Period. A multi-faceted artist, his work is labyrinthine, likely comprising some 30,000 prints, not counting his oil paintings and books he illustrated. The painter's life was rich, his work prolific, and both were imbued with a multitude of signs most of which are unknown to us. This program takes us on a journey in the company of his enlightened admirers—Japanese connoisseurs, who are familiar with these signs.
- The Great Wave (physical DVD) Created when he was 70 years old, Katsushika Hokusai's woodblock painting depicts human vulnerability in the face of nature, with three fragile cargo boats about to be swamped by a giant wave. The program looks at the profound influence The Great Wave had on Western art, and the many instances in which it was reproduced, borrowed and adapted around the world
- Hokusai: The Suspended Threat This program takes a deep look into Hokusai’s The Great Wave, interpreting the story it tells and scrutinizing formal aspects ranging from the perfect spiral that underpins the wave, to the spiritual balance between water and sky, to the fractal-like nature of the wavelets. Footage of artisans at work demonstrates how plates for The Great Wave were cut, inked, and successively impressed onto paper in vivid colors. Additional examples of Hokusai’s work illustrate his use of geometric elements to frame key parts of scenes, his application of perspective, how he played with the plasticity of nature, and his foray into erotic images.
- The Lost Hokusai (online) The ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai is extremely popular worldwide. At 86, he created a monumental, 3-meter-wide composition using bold brushstrokes to depict the ancient Japanese deity Susanoo slaying several gods of pestilence. The work was destroyed by fire during the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and the only clue to its original form was a single monochrome photograph. In 2016, experts relied on that photo as a guide as they launched a project to recreate this enormous work in its original dimensions. They used cutting edge technology, but faced many challenges, such as determining the work’s original colors. This program follows them as they complete the recreation and unveil the true intentions behind this “Lost Hokusai.”
Articles from Library Databases
The following databases have several articles about Hokusai. Try using the search terms "Hokusai", "Katsushika Hokusai" and "Hokusai AND (specific painting)." Sources available through our databases can be accessed by COD students, faculty, and staff with a COD MyAccess username and password.
- Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Complete provides both popular and scholarly journal coverage and video clips for nearly all academic areas of study including: social sciences, humanities, education, technology, engineering, physics, chemistry, language & linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences and ethnic studies. Academic Search Complete is a great starting point for most general research.
- Art & Architecture Complete
Art and Architecture Complete provides popular and scholarly articles, images, and videos for a broad range of related subjects including antiques, architecture and architectural history, archaeology, costume design, decorative arts, graphic arts, interior and landscape design, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Images are stored as PDFs.
- JSTOR
JSTOR provides electronic access to major journal titles, eBooks, and images. Subjects covered by this database include art, biology, business, ecology, botany, general science, language, literature, mathematics, sustainability, security, music, and more. JSTOR is a great resource for general research. A personal account can be created to store and organize resources.
- Oxford Art Online
Oxford Art contains articles, biographies, topic overviews, and images on artists, genres, and more. Search for art-related sources by art field or medium, such as types of materials or format, era, geographic region, and occupation.
Websites
- The Great Wave: Anatomy of an IconWoodblock printing was an enormously popular art form in the Edo period and the most advanced color-reproduction technology anywhere in the world. Thanks to investigations carried out by The Met's Department of Scientific Research, we are beginning to learn how much Eijudo's printers—and, in particular, their handling of the new color—contributed to the impact and success of Thirty-six Views.
- 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Katsushika HokusaiGoogle Arts & Culture shares 10 interesting and lesser known facts about Hokusai.
- Hokusai and the Wave that Swept the WorldHokusai's work made a strong impact on the Impressionist movement. Read more about the way in which Japanese art traveled to Europe and the artists it influenced.
- A Timeline of Japanese Artist Katsushika HokusaiFollow Hokusai's remarkable journey from lowly apprentice to rising star; through the difficult years of the 1820s when he lost his daughter and second wife, and finally to the 1840s, when he achieved a profound understanding of the world through his art.
Podcasts
- HokusaiMelvyn Bragg and guests discuss Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), whose views of Mt Fuji such as The Great Wave off Kanagawa (pictured) are some of the most iconic in world art.
References
Farago, Jason. “Hokusai and the Wave That Swept the World.” BBC News, BBC, 24 Feb. 2022, www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150409-the-wave-that-swept-the-world.