Transmitting the Spirit and Revealing the Form of Things- Hokusai's Sketchbooks 1815

Editor: Here we have "Transmitting the Spirit and Revealing the Form of Things - Hokusai's Sketchbooks" created in 1815 by Katsushika Hokusai, in ink, and print on paper. I immediately notice the fantastical elements; they feel a bit like dreamscapes or even slightly unnerving glimpses into another world. What strikes you most about these sketchbook pages? Curator: Ah, yes! Hokusai. He wasn’t just capturing the world, was he? He was remixing it, filtering it through his own spirit – “transmitting” as the title suggests. Look at these figures – almost demonic, dancing with giant heads or instruments, yet there's a playfulness. A kind of humor bubbling under the surface. It's as if he's saying, “Yes, the world’s strange, deal with it—maybe even laugh at it.” Do you feel that tension between the grotesque and the humorous? Editor: Absolutely, now that you point it out, it seems so obvious. I was too focused on the initial creepiness. Curator: It's like peering into the mind of a restless spirit. You see this incredible command of line – how just a few strokes create form, movement. This economy of means speaks to a deep understanding, doesn't it? And consider, these aren’t finished works; they're glimpses into his process. A visual playground. Editor: I hadn't considered the unfinished nature of the work, and how that could be the entire point. Curator: Perhaps. They are certainly food for thought, capturing both the strange and humorous essence of Japanese folklore while offering a deeply intimate portrait of Hokusai's own creative spirit. Editor: Seeing it as Hokusai “remixing” the world makes it far more engaging than just a series of drawings on aged paper. I'll never look at a sketchbook the same way again!