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
Katsushika Hokusai's 1804 ink-on-paper work Untitled is classified as a genre scene, a category of Japanese painting that depicts scenes from everyday life rather than historical, religious, or mythological subjects. The only figure identified in the documented record is a man, suggesting the composition centers on a single male participant in an ordinary activity rather than a narrative drawn from classical literature or Buddhist iconography. Because no additional attributes, settings, or symbolic motifs are recorded for the piece, the work's meaning resides in its representation of quotidian human life in early nineteenth-century Japan, a subject Hokusai explored throughout his prolific career.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in ink on paper, a medium characteristic of Hokusai’s ukiyo-e prints and paintings of the early nineteenth century.
The work is executed in ink on paper, a medium characteristic of Hokusai’s ukiyo-e prints and paintings of the early nineteenth century. The support measures 32.9 cm in height by 24.1 cm in width, consistent with the small hanging-scroll format often used for figural scenes. Handling emphasizes delicate linework and subtle tonal modulation to render the subject’s features and attire with economy, while the composition’s quiet focus, centering on a single male figure, reflects the genre scene’s emphasis on quotidian subjects. No surface anomalies or restorations are recorded in the provided data.
History & Provenance
The ink-on-paper work Untitled by Katsushika Hokusai, dated 1804, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting measures 32.9 cm in height and 24.1 cm in width. While the source confirms the artwork's presence in the museum's holdings, no specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available records. Additionally, the provided sources do not contain information regarding a specific exhibition history for this piece.
Overview
Katsushika Hokusai's Untitled, created in 1804, is an ink-on-paper drawing. This work exemplifies a genre scene, capturing an everyday moment rather than a historical or mythological event. The piece showcases the artist's characteristic skill in rendering figures and natural elements with economy and vitality, offering a glimpse into early 19th-century Japanese life through a singular human figure.
Artist & collection
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
