Hokusai

Hokusai was a Japanese artist during the Edo period. He lived from 1760-1849. The artist was known many different times during different parts of his life, but he is generally referred to as Hokusai. He is primarily known for his woodblock prints. His artworks were in the style of Ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world," in which images of daily life were usually depicted. His artworks greatly influenced French Impressionists like Monet and Degas. This interest in Japanese art was referred to as "Japonisme." He is most well known for his 36 Views of Mount Fuji, specifically the artwork entitled "The Great Wave." This artwork depicts an enormous ocean wave crashing down upon Mount Fuji. One attribute that makes it characteristic of Japanese artwork in that it includes cropped edges. This can be seen in many Impressionist artworks, as the development of photography was beginning to rise. Also, the artwork lacks a lot of volume and there is very little depth.

Bibliography Images http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Hokusai_selfportrait.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa2.jpg/300px-Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa2.jpg