Book review: Fujiyama

Thursday, May 18, 2017 Meteora 0 Comments

Fuji is the most famous Japanese mountain, the symbol of Japanese beauty, the subject of admiration, it is nearly surrounded by religious devotion for its majestic figure. The mountain has stolen the hearts of many people even in ancient times. The series titled ”The thirty-six looks of Fuji” by Hokusai, the artist who created art in the first half of the 19th century, has become the work that modernized the ukiyo-e style landscape potrayal. Hokusai's work inspired the other great ukiyo artist, Hiroshige, to create his own series with the same title. The works of Hokusai and Hiroshige have become known not only by the elite of the time, but also to all social groups. It is well known that the bold composition and color scheme also influenced European painters, especially Monet, Van Gogh and 19th century Impressionists.

I hope that through the pictures of the two great masters of ukiyo-e, the pictures of the Fuji Hill and the ukiyo-e pictures will also appeal to the viewers by the pictures of the same great artist of the ukiyo, and also that the differences between the style and landscape representation will be revealed by comparing the works of the two artists.

Gábor Tokai:

Fujiyama

Publisher: Magyar Nemzeti Galéria

Year: 2005

Content: 92 pages

The whole book can be viewed on the link below: https://library.hungaricana.hu/hu/view/ORSZ_NEMG_kv_26_Fuji/?pg=0&layout=s