I started this post on Hokusai and his influence as an illustrator in the early age of mechanical reproduction and just got real carried away on the definition of Ukiyo-e, this style, content and technique of woodblock prints when literally defined sounds a lot like the “love culture” of the 60’s or “glam culture” of the 70’s or even “hip hop culture”. After I spent way too long pondering all this work and reading this quote, the continuity of Hokusai’s work made a lot more sense:
Usually the word ukiyo is literally translated as “floating world” in English, referring to a conception of an evanescent world, impermanent, fleeting beauty and a realm of entertainments (kabuki,courtesans, geisha) divorced from the responsibilities of the mundane, everyday world; “pictures of the floating world”, i.e. ukiyo-e, are considered a genre unto themselves.
I was simply trying find a category for him. Here is a nice collection of 5000 or so pieces of every description.
artthatdoesntsuck 