21/09/2026
Visita la mostra "HOKUSAI - Il segreto dell'onda che attraversa l'Europa" fino al 27 settembre!
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🇬🇧 Exhibition: “HOKUSAI – The Secret of the Wave Sweeping Across Europe”
The amount of details required to create a masterpiece…
1. An undisputed master of the Japanese art world, Katsushika Hokusai became, through his woodblock prints, one of the fundamental pillars of the Ukiyo-e style…
2. An artistic movement whose name literally means “depiction of the floating world”… a world of lightness, composed of fleeting, ephemeral moments. The true innovation of this style lies in the ability to mass-produce the artworks, making them more accessible.
3. The works were created using multiple woodblocks. Their shapes were successively stamped and layered to form the final design.
4. With the first layer, Hokusai added the black outlines; with the second, he applied the initial layer of color, and so on, carefully adding every single detail. Each stamped layer was essential to the work, from the borders to the tiniest colored detail in a corner.
5. His works demonstrate that every detail, even one that might seem insignificant to the eye, matters in the creation of the piece, shaping it into the form we see today. Hokusai accorded equal importance to every detail, without distinction…
6. This is what makes his works so special!
Here are the absolute must-see works at the exhibition:
- “KIFURI WATERFALL,” 1849: A work that embodies the very essence of ukiyo-e: the water, flowing fleetingly over the rocks, becomes the painting’s only colorful element, making it the true protagonist.
- “Development: KAJIKAZAWA,” 1830: A development of the work ‘Kajikazawa’ that perfectly showcases Hokusai’s style and his attention to every detail, from the dominant background colors to the particular of the foam on the waves.
- “THE GREAT WAVE OF KANAGAWA,” 1830: The exhibition also features two versions of Hokusai’s famous wave... A revolutionary work that contrasts the terror and anxiety of the sailors in the foreground with the imperturbability of nature, specifically Mount Fuji, which serves as the scene’s backdrop.
