Artwork
Rooster
Rooster is a paint painting by the Japonisme artist Katsushika Hokusai. It dates from 1808 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Katsushika Hokusi (1760–1849) created this ink and color painting of a rooster, a work that forms part of a seven‑piece album of his later paintings. The bird is depicted perched on a rock, its plumage rendered in vivid reds and deep blacks, with a striking red comb atop its head.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a solitary rooster, a motif Hokusai revisited frequently. The animal’s poised stance conveys both vitality and a measured calm, reflecting the artist’s interest in the formal qualities of animal forms.
Technique & Style
Executed with brushwork that balances bold washes of color and precise line, the painting demonstrates Hokusai’s late‑period shift toward more painterly subjects. The contrast of saturated reds against dark tones highlights the bird’s contours while preserving a sense of immediacy.
History & Provenance
Originally assembled within a small album of seven paintings, the work exemplifies Hokusai’s later focus on easel painting after a career dominated by woodblock prints and illustrated books. The album’s provenance traces back to private Japanese collections before entering public holdings.
Context
During the early nineteenth century, Japanese artists increasingly explored animal subjects beyond traditional symbolic roles. Hokusai’s repeated depictions of chickens and other fowl align with this broader interest, using familiar domestic birds to experiment with line, color, and composition.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
