THE GREAT WAVE OFF KANAGAWA from the THIRTY-SIX VIEWS OF MT FUJI, 1830-34, KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (JAPANESE 1760-1849), COLOUR WOODBLOCK, 25.7 X 37.7 CM, NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE, FELTON BEQUEST, 1909 - TAASA Review December 2017

THE GREAT WAVE OFF KANAGAWA from the THIRTY-SIX VIEWS OF MT FUJI, 1830-34, KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (JAPANESE 1760-1849), COLOUR WOODBLOCK, 25.7 X 37.7 CM, NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE, FELTON BEQUEST, 1909 – TAASA Review December 2017

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This article was originally found in the December 2017 edition of TAASA Review (Volume 26, Issue 4, Page 25).

The full article is available for free to TAASA Members.

The experience of seeing so much of Hokusai’s imagery together in one place was enthralling and left in no doubt the artist’s great skill in design and storytelling.

It is rare to be able to see so much of the Hokusai’s output, including the entire Thirty-six views of Mt Fuji 183034, to which an additional 10 prints were added after the series was titled bringing the number of views to 46.

A handful of the images in the group were printed entirely in the synthetic pigment Prussian blue which was then newly available in Japan, while most of the works in the series are in multiple colours in addition to the imported blue...