Rainstorm beneath the Summit by Katsushika Hokusai

Rainstorm beneath the Summit 1829 - 1833

print, ink, color-on-paper

childish illustration

water colours

print

nature colouring

japan

curved letter used

possibly oil pastel

ink

fluid art

color-on-paper

mountain

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

mixed medium

watercolor

"Rainstorm beneath the Summit" is a woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai from his series *Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji*, created between 1829 and 1833. This print captures Mount Fuji in all its glory, with the snow-capped peak standing out against a backdrop of stormy clouds and a deep blue sky. Hokusai's masterful use of color and perspective creates a sense of depth and scale, drawing the viewer into the breathtaking landscape of Japan. The print is a fine example of the *ukiyo-e* style, showcasing the artistic and cultural traditions of Edo-period Japan.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Hokusai took an interest in the work of Rinpa school artists, whose boldly designed compositions were often inspired by themes from classical court painting. Hokusai must have been aware of two important sets of folding screens by earlier Rinpa artists picturing the gods of wind and thunder: one by Tawaraya Sōtatsu (active ca. 1600– ca. 1640), the other by Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716). His own renditions of those gods appear in the third volume of Hokusai manga (Random Sketches of Hokusai), published in 1815. He was probably also familiar with an interpretation of Kōrin’s wind and thunder gods by Sakai Hōitsu (1761–1828), who painted windblown autumn grasses and rain-soaked summer flowers on the reverse of Kōrin’s screens. Hokusai’s Rainstorm beneath the Summit, with its dramatic bolt of lightning, obviously stands for thunder, and his Fine Wind, Clear Weather (on view nearby) could represent wind. Hokusai may have intended these two compositions as companion pieces in his Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series.