Palmer Museum: Learning the Past So We Can Understand the Future

The piece I have chosen is a wood block print called Fugaku sanju-rokkei, by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai in 1830. This work of art is one of many in Hokusai’s series Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji, the most notable would be The Great Wave off Kanagawa which most people are familiar with. The intriguing thing about Japanese wood block prints is that they are extremely under appreciated by the general public, who are not art aficionados. Especially in terms of the effect that they have had in the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movement. The notable artists of the former movement whom have been influenced by wood blocks are Monet, Degas, Renouir, Van Gogh, and many more. The point I am trying to make with this is that once you know the past, you can understand the future.

The Japanese aesthetic used in these prints is called the Ukiyo-e, “floating world,” which accentuates fleeting moments of Japanese culture. The qualities of wood block prints are represented by the acronym C-FID. C; stands for cropped: the designs in the prints have cropped edges. F; stands for flat: the prints do not demonstrate any depth; instead they use steep angels to give the impression of profundity. I; stands for intimate moments: the images depicted in the prints are usually of small groups interacting in private. And D; stands for decorative patterns: in this particular print Hokusai used the technique of Aizurie where the surface of the print is primarily shades of blue ink.

This piece portrays a Japanese valley, and in the distance Hokusai portrays Mt. Fuji. Like I said before Hokusai uses the technique of Aizurie where he shades the valleys and the bottom of the mountain blue, but he uses different shades of blue for the valley which is more of a teal, whereas the bottom of the mountain is a navy blue. Hokusai uses white on the mountain to represent the snow thereby giving the image of the mountain a sense of extreme height. The sky is in a light gray color showing a cloudy day, giving off a peaceful tone.

This work of art was created in 1830, about the same time as Japan opened up trade to foreign nations for the first time in its history. I feel like this piece tries to make people remember the traditional aspect of their culture, where there was less outside influence, and corruption. By depicting the countryside Hokusai demonstrates the simplicity of how the country was before it opened up to the outside world. Thus I believe he is making a political stand against his countries new policies, by trying to ignite a nostalgic feeling within his fellow countrymen.

When looking at this piece the colors and scenery give a soothing and calming effect. It makes me question who am I as an individual and the society in which we live in. It offers a transcendentalist ideal that we as a society should stop stressing on the trivial things in life and learn to appreciate the love and good in the world.

            Katsushika Hokusai along with Suzuki Harunobu were the founding fathers of wood block printing. Therefore there is no debate in whether or not he is credible. Also Hokusai created the most famous wood block print called The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Even if someone has never heard about the technique of wood block printing there is a great possibility that they have seen the piece.

            My Mother is a history teacher; therefore I have been showered with trips to museums my entire life. Even though this may be construed as me being shallow, there isn’t significant money to be made and advancement opportunities in the field of history. If there were I would major in it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately I haven’t come across anything that fits my financial goals so I will just be a history aficionado. This was my first time visiting Palmer, and if they have an interesting collection I would definitely go again.