Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Katsushika Hokusai in 19th century.

Where can I see Untitled?

Untitled is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Untitled?

Untitled is associated with Japonisme.

Artwork

Untitled

Katsushika Hokusai , 1824

Untitled is an ink painting by the Japonisme artist Katsushika Hokusai. It dates from 1824 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Technique & Style

6 cm in width, indicate an intimate, small-scale format consistent with preparatory or sketch-style drawings rather than a finished large-scale painting.

This 1824 work by Katsushika Hokusai is executed as an ink wash drawing on paper, presented in matted form. The modest dimensions, 26.4 cm in height by 35.6 cm in width, indicate an intimate, small-scale format consistent with preparatory or sketch-style drawings rather than a finished large-scale painting. The use of monochrome ink wash rather than polychrome pigments suggests a focus on tonal variation, line, and gesture over color.

The subject matter, depicting a man alongside a horse and a boar (Sus scrofa), is rendered in a genre-scene idiom typical of Hokusai's draftsmanship. The work is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection of paintings.

History & Provenance

The unsigned Untitled painting by Katsushika Hokusai was created in Japan in 1824, as evidenced by its documented inception date. Executed in ink on paper, the work depicts a genre scene featuring a boar, horse, and man, aligning with Hokusai’s late Edo-period output. The painting’s early provenance remains undocumented in available sources, but it entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently housed.

No commissioning patron or intermediary ownership history has been substantiated, leaving its transition from creation to institutional acquisition unrecorded.

The work is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, with the accession number 1998.406. It was painted in 1824 and depicts a boar, horse, and man. The painting has been part of the museum’s holdings since its acquisition, though specific exhibition records are not detailed in the cited sources.

Overview

This untitled ink drawing by Hokusai captures a dynamic moment: a man on horseback navigating a storm as two wild boars rush past. Executed in his later years, the work demonstrates the artist's enduring skill in depicting action and natural forces. Its spontaneous quality suggests a rapid impression rather than a formal composition, characteristic of a quick sketch.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on a figure in a straw raincoat, mounted on a horse, seemingly caught in a tempest. Two wild boars, with visible tusks, charge past the rider, adding to the scene's intensity. This portrayal of a man confronting powerful natural elements and wild animals evokes themes of human vulnerability and resilience in the face of untamed forces.

Artist & collection

Artist

Katsushika Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Continue through works from the same source collection.