Who painted Lumber Yard?

Lumber Yard was painted by Katsushika Hokusai in 1804.

Where can I see Lumber Yard?

Lumber Yard is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Lumber Yard?

Lumber Yard is associated with Romanticism.

Can I buy a print of Lumber Yard?

Museum-quality prints of Lumber Yard are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Lumber Yard

Katsushika Hokusai , 1804

Lumber Yard is a print by the Romanticist artist Katsushika Hokusai. It dates from 1804 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 1916.1166
Credit line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade

About this work

Overview

It depicts an ordinary labor scene in a Japanese lumber yard, capturing workers engaged in routine tasks amid stacked timber and modest structures.

Lumber Yard is a woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai, dated to 1804. It depicts an ordinary labor scene in a Japanese lumber yard, capturing workers engaged in routine tasks amid stacked timber and modest structures. The work belongs to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection and reflects Hokusai’s interest in everyday life during the Edo period, rendered through the medium of ukiyo-e printmaking.

Subject & Meaning

The scene portrays three laborers performing manual tasks, placing materials, holding boards, and adjusting wood, without idealization. Their postures and attire suggest unglamorous, physical work, emphasizing the dignity of labor rather than spectacle. The crowded yard, with its bamboo fencing and simple buildings, frames the activity as a slice of urban or suburban industry, grounding the image in the real world of Edo-period commerce.

Technique & Style

Hokusai employs flat areas of color and strong, clean outlines to define forms and suggest spatial depth without traditional perspective. The composition relies on overlapping shapes and varying scales to imply distance, a hallmark of ukiyo-e aesthetics. The absence of shading and the deliberate simplification of textures reflect the printmaking constraints and the stylistic conventions of the time, prioritizing clarity over realism.

History & Provenance

Created in 1804, Lumber Yard is part of Hokusai’s early output before his famous Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. It likely circulated as a single-sheet print, common in the commercial ukiyo-e market. The work entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection through documented acquisitions, preserving its original state and contributing to Western understanding of Japanese genre scenes from the Edo era.

Context

During the early 19th century, Edo (Tokyo) experienced rapid urban growth, with construction and trade expanding alongside its population. Scenes like this one, depicting laborers and material storage, reflect the economic undercurrents of the city. Hokusai’s focus on such subjects aligns with the ukiyo-e tradition of portraying the transient, everyday world, 'the floating world', beyond aristocratic or mythological themes.

Legacy

Lumber Yard exemplifies Hokusai’s ability to elevate mundane labor into compelling visual narratives. While less known than his landscapes, such works influenced later artists interested in realism and social observation. Its preservation in a major Western institution underscores its role in bridging Japanese print culture with global art historical discourse in the modern era.