Hokusai manga (Hokusai Sketchbooks), vol. 14 Possibly 1849

Curator: Here we have a page from Hokusai's Manga, specifically volume 14, which is held here at the Harvard Art Museums. What strikes you about these images? Editor: The dynamism! I'm immediately drawn to the swirling water, almost animalistic in its energy. It feels both powerful and a bit ominous. Curator: Indeed. The Manga served as instruction and entertainment, demonstrating how to depict various subjects. Note Hokusai’s influence on later manga, even today. Editor: Absolutely! The wave motif echoes throughout Japanese art, of course. But here, in sketch form, we see the seeds of later cultural obsessions with nature's power. I wonder what these sketches meant to viewers at the time, before the mass appeal. Curator: The Manga became a means of democratizing art, spreading his unique vision beyond elite circles. Editor: That's what I find so compelling. It's a glimpse into a world where art wasn't solely for the wealthy, a powerful shift in cultural accessibility.