Ukiyoe Reproductions - landscapes

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Katsushika Hokusai Reflection in the Surface of the Water, Misaka, Kai Province (Koshu Misaka suimen), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mt Fuji ("Fugaku sanju-rokkei) Price A$130 (unframed)) Status New reproduction Condition Excellent Size 385mm x 275mm Availability For sale

The view is from Misaka Pass looking down on Lake Kawaguchi, one of the Five Fuji Lakes that form a chain around the north side of the mountain. The aspect of Mt Fuji is more rugged from this direction, hence Hokusai's depiction of a deep cleft in the slopes and a craggy triple-peak. The relative lack of snow suggests that the season is summer or early autumn, although the tan-coloured block used for Fuji has been delicately wiped at the top so as to fade almost imperceptibly into white as it nears the summit. As many commentators have noted, the reflection of Mt Fuji in Lake Kawaguchi. defying logic, has much more of a covering of snow and is not in the position it would appear in reality (it is displaced to the left). Hokusai's compositions rarely, if ever, aspire to be 'true views' - he is always more concerned to create an inventive design that manipulates geometry in a conceptually satisfying way. Here, surely, he is simply setting up a visual conundrum that insists on the supremacy of picture over fact, imagination over reality.

Timothy Clark 100 views of Mt Fuji The British Museum Press 2002 reprint 2001