Hokusai

2016 · 54069 — Norwalk Connecticut: The Easton Press 2016. First edition thus. Hardcover. fine as new. Folio 14-1/2" x 12-1/2". Top & bottom edges gilt text assembled with some French-folded leaves. Red leather elaborately decorated in gilt with black highlights. Still in the publisher's original shrinkwrap & shipping box. The original Easton Press selling price for this volume now out-of-print was $240. <br /> <br /> Matthi Forrer b. 1948 is the Siebold Professor of Material Culture of Pre-modern Japan at Leiden University. <br /> <br /> "In my research I focused on the introduction of the Western linear perspective in Japan where it suddenly appears in Japanese popular woodblock prints from around 1740. Initially I mainly investigated recent theories Kishi 1994; Oka 1999 suggesting that this perspective may have been introduced through China – quod non. I then studied the early development of Western perspective as it was handled by a number of Japanese artists in the course of the 18th century more specifically in the designs for woodblock prints by Okumura Masanobu Maruyama ÅŒkyo Utagawa Toyoharu and Katsushika Hokusai as well as in the etchings of AÅdÅ Denzen as another technique introduced into Japan through the VOC the Dutch East India Company." Forrer <br /> <br /> "This expansive authoritative and deluxe monograph offers a wide-ranging examination of one of Japan's most celebrated artists. In "Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji" Hokusai created an iconic work that includes universally recognized and beloved images of the Japanese landscape. The same broad perspective and attention to detail is brought to bear in this monumental book that follows the full spectrum of Hokusai's life and work. From his first prints to his most accomplished productions including drawings and paintings each stage of Hokusai's artistic development is presented within the context of Japanese cultural history. In addition to placing him among contemporaries from his native country the book discusses the profound influence Hokusai had on European artists particularly the Impressionists. Matthi Forrer one of the world's leading authorities on the artist vibrantly interweaves brilliant reproductions from every period of Hokusai's life with fascinating commentary. Presented in a luxurious large-format edition the book offers a comprehensive perspective combined with the latest scholarly findings."--Publisher's website. The Easton Press hardcover