Lake Suwa in Shinano Province (Shinshu Suwako), from the series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)"
c. 1830/33
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
25.8 × 37.5 cm (10 1/8 × 14 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
24798
Art Historical Context
Katsushika Hokusai's *Lake Suwa in Shinano Province (Shinshu Suako)* is a captivating color woodblock print from his series *Thirty-six Views Mount Fuji (Fug sanjurokkei)*, created around 1830–33. At the height of Japan's Edo period, Hokusai, a master of ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), revolutionized landscape art by depicting Mount Fuji from unconventional vantage points across the country. This oban-sized print (25.8 × 37.5 cm) captures the sacred Lake Suwa in Shinano Province, with the majestic Fuji looming in the distance, evoking a sense of awe and harmony between nature's gra...
About the Artist
Katsushika Hokusai · 1760–1849
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) stands as one of history's most influential artists, a Japanese master who revolutionized the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and profoundly shaped Western art. Born in the Katsushika district of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to an artisan family, Hokusai lived through nearly nine decades of extraordinary creative evolution, adopting over thirty different artistic names t...