Sunday May 12, 2013
Intimate portrait of an artist
TOTS TO TEENS
By DAPHNE LEE
IT may be the most famous work of art to come out of Japan: a great blue wave, curving high over three fishing boats. In the distance is snow-capped Mount Fuji. This is The Great Wave Of Kanagawa, the first in a series of wood block prints entitled Thirty-six Views Of Mount Fuji by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849).
It was this painting that sealed the reputation of the already well-respected artist, earning him fame outside Japan. When the prints were published (between 1830-1833), Hokusai was about 70 years old, but considered himself still a novice. Not long before his death at 89, the artist said, “If heaven gives me 10 more years (or even an extension of five), I shall certainly become a true artist.”
Hokusai is the subject of The Old Man Mad About Drawing by Francois Place (translated from French to English by William Rodarmor). It’s a beautiful book: a hardback covered in Wedgwood-blue, textured cloth. On the front, stamped in gold, is a shishi or guardian lion; and on the spine, also in gold, the title, author’s surname and the publisher’s name. Inside, there are illustrations, also by Place, and reproductions of Kokusai’s work. The title, by the way, refers to the name Hokusai worked under, from 1834: Gakyo Rojin Manji, which means “the old man mad about drawing”.
The artist is seen through the eyes of Tojiro, a nine-year-old orphan who sells rice cakes on the streets of Edo (the old name for Tokyo). Hokusai, at the time about 80 years old, is one of Tojiro’s most faithful customers and one day offers to take the boy on as his assistant.
Hokusai teaches Tojiro to read and write and introduces him to the world of engraving and wood block printing. Tojiro has free access to all the artist’s books and prints, and Hokusai tells stories about his life as an artist. Soon, Tojiro wants to be an artist too.
The illustrations are very detailed, right down to the facial expressions and body language of each person drawn. There are drawings of busy city streets and peaceful country roads, scenes from Hokusai’s past life, and the time he spends with Tojiro. One delightful picture depicts the artist and his assistant dancing together, each hopping on one foot, while waving paint brushes in one another’s face.
The tale of Tojiro’s relationship with Hokusai is fictional, but it is interspersed with true stories from the artist’s life, and these stories reveal a lively, humorous and somewhat eccentric character whom Place remains true to when creating the fictional part of the book.
This is a wonderfully intimate portrait of a great artist and a fascinating portrayal of the world he lived in. The Old Man Mad About Drawing would make a beautiful gift for readers of all ages, especially those interested in Japan, wood block printing and Hokusai himself.
It is also an essential addition to libraries of art schools, as well as the gift shops of museums that feature wood block printing and Japanese art of all kinds. So much better than a mug or a postcard.
Daphne Lee is a writer, editor, book reviewer and teacher. She runs a Facebook group, called The Places You Will Go, for lovers of all kinds of literature. Write to her at star2@thestar.com.my.
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