Stokpaard 1822

This print, Stokpaard, was created by Katsushika Hokusai. Its complex arrangement presents a doll resting in a box of plum-blossom design. The composition immediately draws us into a world of layered textures and intricate patterns. The juxtaposition of flat planes and detailed ornamentation challenges traditional notions of depth. Hokusai employs a semiotic system of signs where each element—the geometric patterns, the floral motifs, and the calligraphic inscriptions—functions as a signifier within a complex cultural code. The doll itself, set against the angular lines of the box, destabilizes fixed meanings of perspective and representation. The tension between representation and abstraction engages with philosophical questions about the nature of seeing and knowing, transforming this seemingly simple image into a profound meditation on art, artifice, and the fluidity of meaning.