Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting by the Japonisme artist Katsushika Hokusai. It dates from 1846 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Executed in 1847 by Katsushika Hokusai using ink and color on silk, the piece presents a portrait of a male figure.
The work is a ukiyo-e painting classified specifically as musha-e, a genre dedicated to warrior subjects, though the depicted figure is identified simply as a man. Executed in 1847 by Katsushika Hokusai using ink and color on silk, the piece presents a portrait of a male figure. While the specific identity of the individual is not detailed in the available records, the classification as musha-e implies the subject represents a warrior or a figure of martial significance within the Edo period context.
The composition is executed in the nikuhitsu-ga style, indicating a direct brushwork technique. As a hanging scroll, the format suggests the image was intended for display and contemplation, focusing entirely on the characterization of this single male subject rather than a broader narrative scene.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in ink and color on silk, mounted as a hanging scroll, materials and format consistent with Japanese painting traditions of the mid-nineteenth century. Classified as a painting rather than a woodblock print, it belongs to the ukiyo-e genre and is further identified as a musha-e (warrior/hero picture) rendered in the nikuhitsu-ga technique, a direct-painting method associated with Hokusai's later career. The composition is a portrait depicting a man, produced in Japan in 1847.
Held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the piece reflects Hokusai's characteristic handling of ink and color on a silk support suited to the scroll format.
History & Provenance
Created in 1847 in Japan, this hanging scroll was executed by Katsushika Hokusai using ink and color on silk. The work, classified as a portrait within the ukiyo-e and nikuhitsu-ga traditions, depicts a male figure. While specific details regarding its original commission or intermediate ownership history are not provided in the available records, the piece is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located.
Overview
This untitled hanging scroll, rendered in ink and color on silk, depicts a solitary figure in a dark robe. He leans upon a staff, his gaze directed downward towards a small dog at his feet. The composition is characterized by its quiet intimacy, with an expansive, unadorned background created through subtle gray ink washes, emphasizing the interaction between the two subjects rather than a grand narrative.
Artist & collection
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
- 葛飾北斎筆 黒鍾馗|Black Shōki, the Demon Queller
「天満宮」 渡唐天神図|“Tenmangū,” Sugawara no Michizane as Tenjin Traveling to China
土曜図像|Iconographic Drawing of Saturn
Tenjin Traveling to China
Hotei with Daoist Immortals: Immortal Riding Carp
Hotei Crossing a Stream
Hotei with Daoist Immortals: Immortal with Gourd and Dragon
Nakamura Nakazo I as Watanabe no Tsuna
Ichikawa Ebizo III as Yanone Goro in Nenriki arahitogami
Hotei with Daoist Immortals: Immortal with Gourd and Dragon
安底羅大将図像(付.裏書)|Anchira-taisho Jochi
狩野孝信筆 布袋図「拄杖擊破三千界。彌勒撫掌笑呵呵，明月清風無。」|Hotei