Wednesday, March 13, 2019

A visit to Roppongi by Atsuko

I visited the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi with my husband last Tuesday. The exhibition of 'Artist Hokusai' is being held. There are more than 400 of his works which includes the famous 'Under the waves of Kanagawa' of woodblock print and 'Hokusai Sketches". There are only a small part of his works. When he was 18 years old, he entered a studio to study ukiyo-e. His creative career spanned about 70 years, and his brilliant talent shined in his later years. He worked until just before his death at the age of 90. 'The Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji' series, which are world-renown was created in his seventies. That's unbelievable! Hokusai's works are simple but precise. The description are also true to life. His fine touch took my breath away. We had to wait one and a half hours to get in. We expected that. I was rather surprised when I entered there. The crowds moved at a snail's pace. I didn't care how long it took  though. Why? Because I borrowed an audio guide which gave me many interesting information about Mr. Hokusai. 1: He changed hi name 30 times. 2:  He moved his residence 90 times. 3: His words on his deathbed were "If heaven had given me 10 more years, I could have become a real painter." I wonder if he was not satisfied with his life. I will try to do something useful with the rest of my life.

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