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 subject is rendered in ink and color on paper, focusing the composition on the animal as the central iconographic element.
This 1804 work by Katsushika Hokusai is classified within the marine genre and depicts a turtle. The subject is rendered in ink and color on paper, focusing the composition on the animal as the central iconographic element. In Japanese artistic tradition, turtles carry layered symbolic associations, including longevity, endurance, and good fortune, owing to their long lifespan and their association with the mythological turtle-borne islands.
By isolating the turtle as the depicted subject, Hokusai directs attention to these enduring qualities, allowing the creature itself to function as the primary vehicle of meaning within the composition.
Technique & Style
Created in 1804 by Katsushika Hokusai, this marine-themed work is executed in ink and color on paper. The piece functions as a painting that depicts a turtle, adhering to the artist's established practice of using traditional Japanese materials. Housed within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the artwork originates from Japan.
While the specific handling techniques and current physical condition are not detailed in the available records, the medium of ink and color on paper defines its formal classification. The composition centers on the marine subject, reflecting the genre's focus on natural elements rendered through the artist's distinctive stylistic approach during the early 19th century.
History & Provenance
Untitled is an ink and color on paper painting by Katsushika Hokusai, produced in 1804 in Japan. The work belongs to the marine genre and depicts a turtle, reflecting Hokusai’s early exploration of natural subjects. It was created as part of the artist’s corpus of paintings dated to 1804 and was subsequently acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains in the collection.
The painting’s inception is recorded as 1804‑01‑01, and its provenance is limited to its acquisition by the museum, with no earlier ownership chain documented.
The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is recorded under accession number 2019.290.1 in the museum’s holdings. The work has not been documented in the museum’s exhibition history as of the latest available records.
Overview
This ink and color painting by Katsushika Hokusai features two turtles navigating dark waters. Created late in the artist's life, when he was over 80, the work demonstrates his enduring skill and vitality. The composition, rendered on a single sheet of paper, captures the creatures with a sense of immediate movement and presence.
Context
This drawing was produced during Hokusai's later years, a period when the artist, then over eighty, continued to create prolifically. His sustained output and technical precision at this advanced age underscore his lifelong dedication to art and his remarkable consistency in capturing natural subjects with both vigor and refined detail.
Artist & collection
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
