Katsushika Hokusai: The Endless Creative (Part 2)
4/20/202654 min
Why is Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji so popular? And just how influential were his images on the development of Western art? Join Alastair and James as they explore the final tumultuous, and endlessly creative, decades of Hokusai's long life. Artworks in this episode include: Hokusai, Ejiri in Suruga Province, 1830 Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave), 1831 Hokusai, Fine Wind, Clear Morning, 1831 Katsushika Ōi, Nightscene in the Yoshiwara, 1860 Tsuyuki Kōshō, Hokusai and Eijo in their lodgings, before 1893 Hokusai, Tiger in the Snow, 1849 To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/storiesofart or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox Additional Research: Catherine Ingram Producer and Editor: Ben Harding Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:19 Hokusai's Artistic Credo 00:03:52 36 Views of Mount Fuji 00:14:58 The Great Wave off Kanagawa 00:30:02 Fire and Tragedy 00:39:13 Final Years 00:43:13 Death and Legacy 00:51:41 The Eternal Wave
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First 90 secondsJames Fox· Host0:00
[gentle music] Welcome to Stories of Art. I'm James Fox.
Alastair Sooke· Host0:04
And I'm Alastair Sook.
James Fox· Host0:06
A group of travelers is walking along a path near Mount Fuji when a sudden gust of wind catches them unaware. A woman's dress is blown into her face. A man's beloved hat is snatched off his head, and a backpack is ripped open, sending dozens of valuable sheets of paper hurtling off into the sky. That, Alastair, is a chaotic scene from Hokusai's most thrilling series of images, which we will discuss in this episode. But before we do that, let's remind listeners where we got to in our previous episode. Hokusai is born in Edo, modern-day Tokyo, in seventeen sixty. He takes on various jobs in his youth, is sacked in his thirties, but goes on to make a name for himself as a freelance artist. He loses two wives, one daughter, gets struck by lightning, has a stroke, but races through into old age without pausing for breath. This then is the second and last episode on the story of Katsushika Hokusai. [gentle music] We're now in the eighteen thirties, and Hokusai, though by no means a young man, he's now in his seventies, he's about to get a second wind. And I just thought, Alastair, I would read this