Sequential art by Hokusai.
Hokusai is the most famous and influential Japanese painter in the world. Apart from still inspiring artists all over the planet, his work also played a significant role in the development of the Japanese comic strip industry, better known as 'manga'. Other 19th-century Japanese painters and illustrators who can be regarded as comic strip pioneers are Kobayashi Eitaku, Yoshitoshi Tsukioka and Kuniyoshi Utagawa.
Hokusai was born in the autumn of 1760 in Katsushika near Edo, the old city of Tokyo. Later, he called himself "the farmer of Katsushika", adapting Katsushika as his family name. He learned woodblock carving at an early age, and continued to study painting and drawing. He became a pupil al the Katsukawa Shunsho woodblock art school, which he left in 1792. Adapting many artists names during his career (such as Shunro, Sori, iitsu, Gakyojin and Manji) he finally specialized in landscape painting in a style much influenced by Western Art.
Comic art by Hokusai.
Between 1812 and 1878, Hokusai published 15 volumes of 'Hokusai Manga' ('Sketches by Hokusai'), which inspired generations of artists to come, not in the least Japanese comic artists. But also the work of European artists like Hergé and André Franquin show Hokusai influences. It is no coincidence that comics in Japanese are called Manga. Hokusai continued producing landscapes and fine prints until his death in April 1849, at the age of 88. His last words were: "If heaven gives me ten more years, or an extension of even five years, I shall surely become a true artist."
In 1960, an asteroid was named after Hokusai. Hokusai had a strong influence on many artists in his home country. Outside Japan, he also found followers in Australia (William Edwin Pidgeon), Belgium (André Franquin, Hergé, Raymond Macherot, Herr Seele), China (Feng Zikai), France (Edgar Degas), The Netherlands (Anton Pieck, Mark Smeets, Vincent van Gogh and René Windig) and in the United States (Al Davison, Turtel Onli and Gary Panter). Davison drew a graphic novel about Hokusai, titled 'Hokusai Demons' [2009];
'Vision on Mount Fuji'.
'Self-portrait at age 82.'