The Floating World
Poppies
Katsushika Hokusai · c. 1833–34
What it is
Poppies in wind: buds, a full bloom, and a blown flower on one tangle of stalks, all whipped to the same side by a gust you cannot see.
Why it matters
The most kinetic of Hokusai's flower prints — the whole life of the plant, bud to falling petal, caught in a single weather.
What to notice
Every stem bends in one arc, like the lines of a single brushstroke pulled apart; the frilled petals are cut with astonishing delicacy for a carved block.
"Bud, bloom, and fall — one stem carries all three."
The record
- Artist
- Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760–1849)
- Date
- c. 1833–34
- Medium
- woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons · Hokusai Poppies.jpg
Impression note. The reds and pinks of the petals are the design's most fugitive colors and vary widely between printings; a fine impression keeps the frilled petal edges crisp against the ground. Impression variance is real — printings differ in wiping and fading — and choosing the finest openly held impression is the curatorial act.
Public domain; faithfully reproduced.
Bring it home
Printed to order on EMA matte art paper, 200gsm.
More Katsushika Hokusai
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)Katsushika Hokusai · c. 1830–32
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)Fine Wind, Clear Morning (Red Fuji)Katsushika Hokusai · c. 1830–32
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)Thunderstorm Beneath the SummitKatsushika Hokusai · c. 1830–32
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)Kajikazawa in Kai ProvinceKatsushika Hokusai · c. 1830–32The road at your moment — Painted Earth’s ukiyo-e style pack.