Portrait of Hokusai As An Old Man Attributed to Hokusai (1760-1849)

Catalog note / 解説

An old man leans on a staff; he is clad in an old kimono, checkered jacket, and wears straw sandals. Published by Kobayashi Bunshichi of Tokyo in 1900; it is based on a drawing in his own collection attributed to Hokusai. This drawing was likely completed when Hokusai was 83 years old. Critics disagree on the attribution of the original drawing. The print shows, however, an old, extraordinary-looking, and strong-willed man of the type we understand Hokusai to have been. The original drawing is now in the Musee Guimet, in Paris. During his life span, Hokusai changed his artistic name more than ten times. However, his style may generally be divided into six periods: 1. Shunrö period (1779-94)…