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Experience the breathtaking brush strokes of one of the most influential artists in Japan's history. The Freer Gallery of Art is home to the world's largest collection of paintings by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, on view for the first time in a decade. Hokusai's Brush is a companion to the museum's yearlong exhibition that celebrates the artist's fruitful career. The book features incredible and rarely seen sketches, drawings, and paintings, as well as essays that explore his life and career. It offers an in-depth breakdown of each painting, providing amazing commentary that highlight Hokusai's mastery and detail. While best known for his woodblock print series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji," particularly the widely recognizable "The Great Wave off Kanagawa," Hokusai is said to have produced 30,000 pieces of art. He lived to ninety years old, and his last words were reportedly to say that if heaven were to grant him another five or ten years, then he could become a true painter. Hokusai's Brush is a testament to the humility of that statement, emphasizing his artistry and skill (the likes of which shaped the Impressionist movement by inspiring artists like Monet, Degas, and van Gogh) with every stunning page.
