Original woodblock prints in two shades of grey and one of pink; J.A. Michener, The Hokusai Sketch-Books. Selections from the Manga, Rutland and Tokyo, 1958, p. 134; Koban format; 180 x 130 mm each.
A fine print from the Manga collection, a fifteen-volume series published between 1814 and 1878 (the last three volumes posthumously).
The series was conceived by Hokusai to illustrate every aspect of Japan: from folklore to architecture, and from flora to fauna. The sheets in the collection served as a manual for apprentice artists, providing a wide range of ideas for tackling any kind of subject.
In Michener’s essay, the plate on the right (Plate 75, p. 134) is examined to comment on the refinement with which Hokusai captures the essence of the Japanese landscape with very few strokes. Within the few square centimetres available, the artist presents a compendium of all the distinctive elements of Japanese landscape art, not least a small-scale view of Mount Fuji. He adds: “Rarely have they been drawn with such a random, yet powerful ability to evoke memories”.
The left-hand sheet, on the other hand, is reserved for a demonic figure, suspended in a dark sky. The drums he holds in his hands identify him as Raijin, the god of thunder and storms.
Good, irregular margins all round. In perfect condition.
Ref. 7292-7293