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 composition focuses entirely on the interaction between these two entities, utilizing the stark contrast of the medium to highlight their forms.
Created in 1804, Katsushika Hokusai's Untitled painting depicts a specific mythological scene featuring a man and a bear. Executed in ink with red accents on paper, the work belongs to the mythology genre, suggesting the figures represent characters from Japanese folklore or legend rather than a simple naturalistic encounter. The composition focuses entirely on the interaction between these two entities, utilizing the stark contrast of the medium to highlight their forms.
While the specific narrative arc of this particular depiction is not detailed in the available records, the inclusion of a bear and a man within a mythological classification implies a symbolic or narrative purpose central to the era's storytelling traditions. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds this piece, which measures 42.7 by 26.7 centimeters.
Technique & Style
Created in 1804, this work by Katsushika Hokusai is executed on a paper support using ink and red pigment. The piece measures 42.7 cm in height and 26.7 cm in width, presenting a vertical format typical of hanging scrolls or album leaves. Stylistically, the composition depicts a bear and a man within a mythological narrative context, utilizing the traditional Japanese sumi-e technique where black ink defines form and red color provides selective accentuation.
The handling of the medium suggests a focus on bold outlines and expressive brushwork characteristic of Hokusai's early 19th-century output. As a painting classified under mythology, the formal qualities rely on the interplay between the monochromatic ink washes and the strategic application of red to highlight specific figures or elements within the scene.
History & Provenance
The work titled Untitled was produced in Japan in 1804 as an ink drawing with red pigment on paper, measuring 42.7 cm by 26.7 cm. It belongs to the mythology genre and depicts a bear and a man, reflecting Hokusai’s interest in supernatural subjects. The piece is classified as a painting within the corpus of Katsushika Hokusai’s output. No documentation of a specific commission survives; the work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view.
Its creation date of 1804 is recorded in both the artist’s internal catalogue and the Metropolitan Museum’s provenance records.
Overview
Katsushika Hokusai's Untitled is an ink and red color painting on paper, likely created around 1804. The composition features a man in a straw raincoat standing alongside a towering bear. Rendered with precise ink outlines and a single crimson accent, the scene evokes a moment of quiet contemplation, characteristic of the artist's diverse output during this period.
Context
This work was produced during a period when Japan maintained a policy of national isolation, known as sakoku, largely limiting contact with the outside world. Hokusai's artistic output from the late 18th to early 19th century reflects both traditional Japanese subjects and a keen observation of daily life and natural phenomena, often imbued with a sense of the fantastical or the unknown, as seen in this piece.
Artist & collection
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
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