Why did Hokusai create so many scenes showing people? Whats the symbolism there?
Hokusai had a great interest in human activity and he was a terrific observer of human nature. In the series, the prints show virtually every activity you can imagine, from people repairing roofs to washing dishes. Because a lot of the scenes take place in his hometown of Edo, Hokusai is also showing his own people. He displays a very careful observation of what they are doing, and he also shows a great sensitivity to these people, because these are the activities that he would have seen everyday from his window or when he stepped outside of his door. What do we know about Hokusai’s character as an artist? Hokusai was a very prolific and very driven artist. In his lifetime, it is thought that he created as many as 30,000 designs. To give you an example of the type of artist he was, there was a period in his career where he began producing book illustrations. He was so prolific at making the illustrations that publishers couldn’t find authors to keep up with him and write the books. So,
