Untitled

Katsushika Hokusai

1834 · Woodblock printed book; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

Hokusai's picture book, published in fifteen volumes, included popular drawings of figures from everyday life, mythology, religion, and legend, as well as depictions of flora, fauna and landscape. It was probably created to provide models for artists. This image, "Man Making Faces," is included among a volume of humorous sketches and caricatures. The print features close-up reflections of a man creating two different distorted expressions. However, Hokusai plays with the reality of the mirror image by eliminating the real subject—the man—and representing only his reflection. Since the subject has entered our space, the artist engages us on a different level. Could we be the subject?

Artist

Katsushika Hokusai

Date

1834

Medium

Woodblock printed book; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

The Howard Mansfield Collection, Gift of Howard Mansfield, 1936