He was a passionate seeker ¡ª a curious artist who refused to be confined by the tight boundaries of a particular aesthetic tradition.
He did not care much for convention either: In pre-modern Japan, allegiance to a single authority was the norm, but he constantly sought the guidance of a broad range of masters. It was done discreetly, of course, lest anyone take offence, but even when they did, it didn¡¯t seem to bother him that much.
This man was Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), an artist whose career spanned eight decades, during which time he produced 3,000 woodblock designs, more than 1,000 paintings, hundreds of drawings and 200 illustrated books ¡ª all in a wide range of styles.
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