Self Portrait – Hokusai

Self Portrait – Hokusai – 1830-1840

The Great Wave of Kanagawa. It’s a Japanese print you undoubtedly know. It is the original inspiration for Claudel’s Wave, found on the cover of Debussy’s Sea, and even inspired the Quicksilver logo. Probably, it’s the only artwork with its own dedicated emoji. However, what gets less attention is the man behind this, who also created this Self Portrait – Hokusai. But who exactly is behind this name?

The creator of the Great Wave is none other than an elderly man, a man of 70 years. We’re in the 1830s. Hokusai is a revered drawing master, but his status doesn’t even come close to the grand masters of Japanese painting. Unaware of the global influence his art would have, Hokusai published this work at 71 years old. But let’s rewind to 1772, in Edo. Hokusai does not exist yet. Instead, we find young Tokitarô, who begins to learn wood engraving at the age of 12, mainly replicating texts. At 18, he joins the studio of Katsukawa Shunshô, a master of Japanese printmaking: the “ukiyo-e”, literally “images of the floating world”.

At this time, he focuses more on drawing portraits than engraving texts. In Shunshô’s studio, Tokitarô refines his woodblock printing skills. This technique is the most commonly used to create Japanese prints and is the one he uses throughout his life.

Category: Hokusai Painting

Original format 21.3 x 18.43 cm
© The Art Institute of Chicago