KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAIA
Famous and unbeatable Japanese draftsman and wood engraver
of views of Mount Fuji and
from ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’,
alive from 1760 to 1849
“From the age of 6 I have been obsessed with the forms of things. Since the age of 50 I have produced a lot, but nothing I have made before my 70th is really worth it.
It wasn’t until I was 73 that I finally began to see the nature of birds, animals, insects, fish, and the vital nature of grasses and trees. Hence I will not have made any progress until I am 80, when I am 90 I will have penetrated further into the deeper meaning of things,
on my 100th i will be really great
and on my 110th every point and every line will possess life itself.”
On his deathbed (89), KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI spoke
“Ten more, no, five more years
and I would have become a really great painter”.
AnnoZ Webb blog 