Mad about Painting

by Katsushika Hokusai, Ryoko Matsuba (Introduction)

Mad about Painting collects beautiful new translations of Hokusai’s painting tutorials and related essays written by the artist and his peers—a selection made available in English for the first time.

Best known for his iconic print Under the Wave off Kanagawa , also known as the Great Wave , Katsushika Hokusai was a revolutionary printmaker. His mastery of ukiyo-e in the nineteenth century has inspired generations of artists since, and his works helped introduce the world to the delicate beauty and power of the Japanese woodblock technique. In addition to his remarkable artistic output, Hokusai was also a dedicated teacher who sought to pass down his unique understanding of color and painting to practicing artists through immensely detailed written tutorials and manuals, many of which are excerpted here, in English, for the first time.

Connecting Hokusai’s prints from the Edo period to contemporary Japanese art, the scholar Ryoko Matsuba’s introduction foregrounds Hokusai’s contributions to Japanese creative expression from the 1800s to today. Also included in this book is the contemporary artist Ikeda Manabu’s concise observations about Hokusai’s lasting influence. This volume offers invaluable insight into the psyche of a true master, and a rare personal account of an artist’s life during a fascinating period in Japan’s history.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Art History

168 pages, Paperback

Published May 9, 2023

Reviews

[Pascal Ross]

he really was mad about painting.....
i think this book does a very inter specific deep dive into hokusai and his painting practice. i always thought of him as a drawer and printmaker so this was an interesting alternative,, unfortunately i hate painting and painters so this was a bit boring for me,, still i think hokusai would like this and the cover is very pretty

[Axel Le Merle]

I think this book gives a good insight to how Hokusai saw himself as a painter and how he approached making art. He explains how making great art means (to him) being able to see the world and understand what you see. You can sense how this way of thinking impacted impressionsts in the west who were influenced by him.

I found that the best parts of this book are the first and last parts which contains prefaces and reflections on art while the middle of the book gives a detail account on how to mix colour and techniques used to paint different animals objects and etc. The middle part is the most difficult to read in my opinion due to the very technical jargon and language Hokusai used.

Overall a good book and short read. I recommend it if you want more insight into the thought process of Hokusai