Katsushika Hokusai is undoubtedly one of the most widely celebrated artists in the history of Japanese visual culture. A Renaissance man active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries during the Edo period (1603-1868), his vivid prints and illustrations remain unparalleled in their dynamic portrayals of flora and fauna, historic events, mythologies, and contemporary urban life in the metropolitan demimonde known as the ukiyo. Even if someone reading is unfamiliar with his impact on the canon of art history, they will likely know his more famous compositions from their omnipresence in pop culture and museum gift shops, such as the “Great Wave off Kanagawa”.
From 2016 to 2019, the British Museum in London co-organized a series of exhibitions and research initiatives delving into the life of this prolific artist. The project has since been called Hokusai: Thought, Technique, Society, and has resulted in the 2017 show Hokusai: Beyond the Great Wave. During this timespan (and as an unforeseen consequence of their efforts to illuminate his life and methodology) the museum was given 103 original Hokusai drawings from the collection of jeweler and japanophile Henri Vever. Each measures about 10.5 x 15.2 cm, and are “block-ready” brush drawings, essentially used for reference before the design was translated to a wood-cut format.

The Great Picture Book of Everything by Timothy Clark is the first publication to compile photographs of every one of these never-before-seen artworks, and provides not only context for the place they fit in the oeuvre of the artist, but also modern scholarship on his career. They fill a pause in his production in the 1820s, long considered a dry spell by historians due to a series of familial struggles and health issues. As he wrote to publisher Hanabusa Heikichi, “This spring, no money, no clothes, barely enough to eat. If I can’t come to an arrangement by the middle of the second month, then no spring for me.”
Generally speaking those who study these works accept this theory not just because of their evocative stylistic and bibliographic qualities, but because of the playful and at times sardonic energy the compositions exude that was infused with Hokusai’s other work. However, although Clark makes similar intuitive leaps, he convincingly argues that the authenticity of the drawings by pointing out they can be viewed as a stylistic bridge between the two periods in Hokusai’s career, and are consistent with the progression of his artistic development. Additionally, he provides in-depth analysis of the sketches, and the methodology used in the various stages of production (rough sketches in one ink can be seen under the top most ink drawing, providing valuable insight into his process) consistent with his other work housed in museums around the world. This does not exclude the idea that they drawings were made with the assistance of one of his pupils, given that the artist had had a minor stroke around the time of the drawings’ production, and that his daughter, fellow artist, and frequent collaborator had returned to take care of him in his old age, but suggest that he was involved in the process. Finally, some of the subject matter is anticipated by his work in other publications and ukiyo-e prints, such as his famed publication “Hokusai Manga”, although there is also a surprising amount of content dedicated to Chinese and Indian histories and religion.
This publication is without doubt a valuable resource for scholars of art history or Asian area studies, as well as a fascinating glimpse into a seminal and contemporary research project. It is quite brief, shorter than most research articles (the actual text consists of only about 15 pages), and acts as an invitation to engage with the pieces through upcoming public initiatives with the British Museum. At its heart, it is a fascinating analysis of enigmatic objects, and provides a number of wonderful visuals that would be entertaining for anyone to peruse.
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