Thursday, December 1, 2011

The Mountain Top

It's hard to not call Katsushika Hokusai the most masterful, and certainly well-known, Japanese artist of all time. His most famous work, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, is recognized by the most modest of art lovers around the world.

I recently came across a spare Sensei's Divining Top and decided it was time for a little Asian art history. The result contains no waves and is likely one of my most subtle alterations.


The image comes from one of Hokusai's Thirty Six-Views of Mt. Fuji. I tried to stay true to the print's minimal palette and subtle gradients. While it doesn't come close to the original, I enjoy projects like these that get me into the heads of the masters.