H is for Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese artist, painter and print-maker who lived from 1760 to 1849.



Self Portrait, 1839

What I find most interesting about his story is that somewhere around age 70 he retired, his wife died and his grandson gambled away all his money.  He was destitute.  So, he was forced to go back to work and he ended up producing the best work of his life.  Maybe retirement is over-rated, at least for artists?  Hokusai completed a series of woodcut prints called "36 Views of Mt. Fuji".  There are actually a total of 46 prints, 10 extra were created due to the popularity of the series. Below are my favorite four images in that series.

Red Fuji

The Great Wave Off Kanagawa

Kajikazawa in Kai Province

Rainstorm Beneath the Summit