Hokusai: Prints and Drawings

by Matthi Forrer (Editor)

Overview

Now available again, this book presents a selection of Hokusai's work known for its exquisite style and marvelous inventiveness.

This volume includes full-color reproductions of drawings and woodblock prints by Hokusai, one of Japan's most revered artists. His landscapes—including the famous views of Mount Fuji—portraits of lovers and kabuki actors, nature and animal illustrations, as well as scenes of daily life in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Japan reveal the artist's genius for rendering a wide variety of subjects. Author Matthi Forrer discusses Hokusai's life and lasting popularity while placing his work within the context of Japanese society and the work of his contemporaries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783791385044
Publisher:	Prestel Publishing
Publication date:	02/05/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	1,056,439
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Matthi Forrer is an independent curator and the author of numerous books on Hokusai and Japanese art, including Hokusai and Hiroshige: Prints and Drawings (both by Prestel).

Editorial Reviews

This edition showcases the work of master printmaker and artist Hokusai. With nearly 200 color reproductions of Hokusai's works, including "The Great Wave" and other famous prints, Hokusai: Prints and Drawings is an extensive, superb collection of pieces by one of Japan's most renowned artists. The accompanying text introduces readers to the subtleties of each work, providing contextual information and technical details of the piece's creation. The stunning prints exemplify Hokusai's extraordinary skill, imagination, and even humor, allowing readers to glimpse aspects of life in 18th-century Japan in vivid color and detail. The intricate landscapes -- full of brooding mountains, gnarled trees, serene bridges, and delicate flowers -- invoke a sense of peaceful introspection and that invites the reader to sit back and truly contemplate the prints.

bn.com

Supremely prolific and marvelously inventive, Hokusai, one of Japan's most famous artists, has left a body of work comprising almost 30,000 items. This volume, designed as a catalog to accompany an exhibition in London, gives us an overview of 13 drawings and 151 woodblock prints representing landscapes, amorous couplings, kabuki actors, and scenes of daily life in 18th-century Japan. Although the biographical introduction is short, each artwork has an ample explication to place it in the context of Japanese society and Hokusai's oeuvre. The superb quality of the color reproduction on acid-free paper makes this an excellent complement to Richard Lane's more comprehensive Hokusai: Life and Works (Dutton, 1989). Recommended for all libraries.-- David McClelland, Temple Univ. Lib., Philadelphia

Library Journal