Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting by the Japonisme artist Katsushika Hokusai. It dates from 1804 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a seated man before a low table holding a bottle, fish, and food, a scene that situates the work within the Japanese genre-scene tradition of the early nineteenth century. The inclusion of a sake bottle, fresh fish, and simple fare suggests an everyday meal, possibly underscoring themes of sustenance and the pleasures of modest living. Such imagery aligns with ukiyo-e depictions of popular urban life, where the act of eating becomes a marker of contemporary culture and social experience rather than a narrative of wealth or status.
Technique & Style
The work Untitled (1804) is executed in ink on paper, a format recorded in the artist’s catalogue as a painting within the genre‑scene category.
The work Untitled (1804) is executed in ink on paper, a format recorded in the artist’s catalogue as a painting within the genre‑scene category. The support is a single sheet of paper measuring approximately 47 × 31 cm, produced in Japan and now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hokusai’s handling of the brush creates a delicate line that delineates a bottle, fish, food items and a figure, arranging them in a compact composition typical of early nineteenth‑century Japanese graphic art.
The ink medium yields a crisp, tonal contrast that emphasizes the outlined forms, while the overall style reflects the precise yet expressive line work characteristic of the period.
History & Provenance
Untitled, an ink-on-paper painting by Katsushika Hokusai, was created in Japan in 1804. The work depicts a bottle, fish, food and a man. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view; no earlier ownership records are documented.
The dating of 1804 is confirmed by the museum’s catalog entry and by the work’s inception date listed in the catalogue entry. Its medium and dimensions (47 × 31 cm) are recorded in the museum’s metadata, and the subject matter matches the listed genre‑scene classification.
Created in 1804, the ink-on-paper work titled Untitled by Katsushika Hokusai is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While specific accession numbers are not provided in the available records, the museum houses the painting as part of its permanent holdings. The artwork, which measures 47 by 31 centimeters and depicts a scene containing a bottle, fish, food, and a man, was produced in Japan.
The provided sources do not contain details regarding specific exhibition histories, past loan records, or prior ownership chains for this piece, limiting the available historical context to its current institutional location and creation date.
Overview
This untitled ink drawing on paper depicts a man in a kimono reaching for a fish. Executed by Hokusai, the work is characterized by its rapid, unadorned style, suggesting it may have served as a preparatory study or a spontaneous exercise rather than a finished piece intended for public display. The absence of color and detailed background emphasizes the immediacy of the moment captured.
Artist & collection
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
