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The Mad Poet and The Wind Taking a closer look at a drawing by Hokusai The whimsical drawing of a barefooted man dancing whilst papers and leaves scattered to the wind, took my breath away when I first saw it many years ago. It still is an unfolding mystery today. As a student of Japanese art history at the School of Oriental and Africa Studies in London, which was just behind the British Museum, I used to wonder into the museum to view original art as often as I could. I loved hanging out at the student room which was dedicated to students who wished to look at particular artworks. I wanted to get a feel of the brush strokes of the masters of ink, and this was the place to see just that. Amongst a selection of 18th century drawings by Japanese master artist Katsushika Hokusai, was a very similar drawing to this one here on the right. At first sight I couldn't quite figure out what was going on with this figure. Can you? The rather small drawing of 27x40 cm, was made with many fine lines, yet depict only few actual body details. The lines are not quite anatomically correct nor the posture is realistic at all, is it? Check it out for yourself. Can a figure hold its full weight on one bent leg in such posture? Can a head turn around in this odd angle to the sky ? And although this drawing make no sense as a reality, we believe it. It works. How come? We are also led to believe the wind is scattering papers from an open sac, whilst maples leaves flying away. And somehow, the figure is dancing carelessly and free, oblivious to anything around it, present at the moment full heartedly and happy. And we are with him. The man is holding his whole balance on the tiptoe of one leg in a rather extraordinary way, and the suggested parts that are painted, somehow, make up the contour of the body. And thanks to layers and layers of his robe, we are given a sense of him dancing in elated joy in the wind. By challenging the powers of gravity and balance he is able to be in the moment so much so that we can almost hear his laughter, and the swirling sounds of the wind. Whether the man has opened his bag and threw the papers to the wind, or perhaps the sac has fallen and he is trying to collect his poems back into his bag, is questionable. But it does not distract his free spirit dance. And although we cannot see nor read any writings on any paper, he does have, quite mysteriously, a bag full of them. The autumn season is noted with maples leaves scattered amongst the paper, and the character for wind - 風 at the bottom right, reminds us, if we are still not sure, that it is a strong autumn wind that is blowing away. Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) and the human figure Hokusai, amongst his great many talents as an artist, painter, calligrapher and printmaker, was a master in drawing the human figure. Be it saints, priests, warriors or servants, brick layers, martial artists, fine ladies or ghosts, he painted them all. He did not seems to care so much who they were, as much as what they were doing. Hokusai was investigating how people moved in their daily activities, the muscles of their bodies, the shifting lines of their garments folding, angles of their fingers, feet positions, facial expression and so much more. With an insightful curiosity, his drawings reveal a genuine sympathy for people, as well as a humility to his own artistic craft in his never ending will to perfect it. Hokusai inquisitive eye was observing in details the finest of body movement in action. His bold, determined brush would easily shift from sketching a samurai shooting a bow and arrow to dancers performing a folk dance. You name it, Hokusai and his brush were there. So much so, that we can learn much about 18th century Edo period of Japan and its culture thanks to his detailed sketches. The ways, style and mannerism of all sorts of people, from all walks of life, as they have been going on their daily lives, noted and drawn with his skilled brush. Many of his sketches were grouped in booklets, and have become to be known as 'Hokusai illustrated books' or manga. They were published over time, beginning in 1814 with over thirteen volumes being published during his lifetime, packed with many wonderful drawings. These drawings offer a detailed insight into anything Japanese. They demonstrate Hokusai discerning eye and determined hand in depicting anything and everything that was around him, and in capturing the movement and vitality of his subjects. Amongst these drawings, we can discover people in all seasons and in various weather conditions, giving us the storyline not only of the person, but of the time and atmosphere within which their story takes place. One of the most enigmatic and complex weather condition to paint is the wind, as it is unseen. So how did Hokusai draw the wind? How do you draw the wind ? The wind is about the only subject that to be able to paint, one needs to master drawing everything else in nature, as it in itself is unseen. And so, if you want to paint figures, animals or landscape in the wind, you must understand human anatomy, animal movement, and the way trees, branches, and objects, move and sway when blown away. Just like the spirit of life, the wind can be felt and seen by how it react with everything around it. Perhaps this is the magic and challenge that Hokusai was up to. More so, it looks like he was enjoying exploring this theme with much humour and originality. Be it a strong wind, a sudden wind, autumn wind.. his attention to the subject in his landscape paintings and prints is truly remarkable. We can examine his playful practice in the figure drawing below from his manga. We can see on the left a monk desperately clutching his rod against the wind as his hat covering his face, and another monk loosing charge of a paper scroll. At the bottom right, a servant is desperately trying to keep the weight of his tray, as he is covered blindly by a map that was meant to cover that tray, which holds an important letter in a customary black lacquer box. At top right, a lady struggling to keep up as she just lost her umbrella to the wind. And, bottom centre, a figure very much like the mad poet chasing papers lost to the wind. Just like in the mad poet drawing, we do not see much of the actual body parts or facial expression, apart from one monk, yet, we are compelled to believe in the movements of everything around them that suggest the wind is blowing all away. And much like in the mad poet drawing, the character for wind on the top left part of the print, blends with the maple leaves, as the wind swipe them all away. Mount Fuji and the wind Hokusai implementation drawing of humans and objects relations with the wind can be seen at its best within his famous series of 'The Thirty Six views of Mount Fuji'. Here in the 'Gust of wind in the rice field of Ejiri', we can see how sketches from the manga were integrated into this high quality woodblock print. A group of travellers are desperately trying to hang on to their hats as they walk against the wind. Whilst a flying hat, leaves, and paper are up in the air and the rice fields and trees suggest the direction fo the wind. There is a natural flow and movement to the whole scene, yet within the drama of it all, painted in a single line in the far background is Mount Fuji in its stillness. This contrast gives this print its power. So how do you draw the wind? The answer Hokusai must have known well is simple. You cannot draw the wind. You can only draw the wind by drawing everything else that interacts with it. More then one version of the same drawing ? My unfolding tale with this drawing continued, when I discovered few years ago, in a book by the art historian Jack Hillier, a similar drawing. In Hillier's book, the drawing was titled 'The Mad Poet' and is said to have come from the collection of Huguette Berès in Paris. It was almost similar to the previous drawing I have seen, similar and yet not. The drawing on the right was the first image I have seen many years ago at the BM, while the new image from the Berès collection, on the left, is a clear brush sketch of the figure in ink. It looks vibrant and free, with various width of brush strokes, while the BM copy looks like it was carefully painted with even lines. It lacks the free stroke feeling as it is cautiously following the lines in a softer, accurate way. The calligraphy character for wind on the bottom right gives it away as well, as it is finely written, not as calligraphic and fluent as the one on the left. Having realised that there is more then one copy of this image, I was wondering how come and why? To answer this question, we need to understand the process of Japanese woodblock print of the 18th C. When making woodblock prints, the master would paint an original drawing and a workshop practitioner would copy it for a woodblock print. There may have been more then one copies made for the same print. So You can see the drawing on the left, painted with free ink brush strokes, varying in thickness was probably the original, and the drawing on the right, probably was used for a wood block prints for one of the many manga books of Hokusai. The latter was most probably made by one of his students or apprentices working at the woodblock print studio, which was a major productive line at the time. It was also not uncommon for students of ink painting to copy originals of their teachers. So there are copies of Hokusai's drawings that can be found still around, making it not always straightforward to tell which is an original, and which is a copy. So a comparison like this can be useful for further research. In conclusion - Why I love this drawing The mad poet drawing tells us life's most valuable lesson in a rather plain, direct way. Standing strong within ones power, being present at the moment amidst great change, is a way of being. A skill that can be mastered. Whilst the very nature of the wind is change, the only stillness that can be found in its presence is within oneself. This position is both an inspiration and and an ongoing practice. When becoming a master of it, like the mad poet, it is effortless. Just like the way this drawing seems to have been created by the masterful brush of Hokusai, so effortlessly. Bonus Notes Hokusai Self portrait at the age of Eighty-three Looking at the second image in this essay you will find Hokusai self portrait. It was drawn on a letter to his publisher and the calligraphy translates to one of his most famous quote - ‘From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things. When I was fifty I had published a universe of designs. But all I have done before the the age of seventy is not worth bothering with. At seventy-five I will have learned something of the pattern of nature, of animals, of plants, of trees, birds, fish and insects. When I am eighty you will see real progress. At ninety I shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself. At a hundred I shall be a marvellous artist. At a hundred and ten everything I create; a dot, a line, will jump to life as never before. To all of you who are going to live as long as I do, I promise to keep my word. I am writing this in my old age. I used to call myself Hokusai, but today I sign my self 'The Old Man Mad About Drawing. Originals and copies With Japanese art history, I have found at times, published material may omit sections like calligraphy or a part of a painting, or even a signature that were not considered ‘essentials’ to the publisher. Having witnesses this few times, it is recommended that you choose to explore researching art history further, and intend on looking for the original format of the artwork. Look out for the original that may tell a broader story. It will also offer a feel of the original brush and artist intention. While writing this essay, I have found at the online British museum catalogue the leaf within which the ‘The Mad Poet’ drawing appears (see below). It is clear that the image is part of Hokusai sketchbook manual page, which includes three other sketches of a woman putting on her makeup, possibly blackening her teeth with a mirror. And two men, one is reading while the other is shaving. Not necessarily related, yet these drawings were probably all copied from an original like the one from the Berés collection. In my ongoing search for the original copy of The Mad Poet drawing, it turned out to be during the 1930s, in the collection of a French art dealer and gallery of Mr. Seligman in Paris. During WWIII as the family and business had to flee France, they managed to pass part of the collection to America, and their fellow staff burnt all record of materials so it will not get to enemies hands. And so it is not know when exactly but at some point we know, thanks to Hillier book, that the print has arrived to the collection of Madam Berès who owned a gallery in Paris that still runs today. I did contact the gallery but have not heard back as yet, and wonder if the painting is with them and may be on view. As for the second copy drawing that can be found at the collection of the British Museum, it may possibly be viewed upon request. A drawing exercise for you This essay was inspired from a drawing exercise that I was asked to do many years ago as a fresh art student. It was created by Betty Edwards in her book ‘Drawing on the right side of the brain’. The purpose of the exercise was to improve ones drawing and to prove that anyone can draw. The instructions were to find a line drawing of a famous artist to be used for an exercise. This is when I found Hokusai’s Mad Poet drawing. Would you like to try this exercise? - Print out the drawing (attached as PDF here) and place it upside down. - Prepare a fresh piece of preferably sized washi paper and a fine brush. Or you can do this with a regular pencil and paper. Use the same size paper as the printed drawing. - Look at the upside down drawing and begin to trace the lines you see. Keep it upside down, do not turn it around! - Follow the lines from inside out, or top to bottom. Don’t draw only the outside contour ones first, that will be more difficult to begin with. - As you follow the lines with your eyes and brush or pencil, do not ‘think’ what you are drawing or which part of the drawing it is. Just follow the lines, almost intuitively. - Check out from time to time the negative spaces that appear and the shapes in between the lines of the original sketch and your own, like a puzzle. See if you are creating similar ones in your own drawing. - You will find at some point, you ‘forget’ to think about what it is you are doing, and just continue following the lines. This feeling IS IMPORTANT. This is the key entrance, welcome, to your world of creative imagination and magic. Part of your right hemisphere, it is only keen on lines and form and will lead you to your very own skill of drawing as you see, and not, as you may ‘think’. Enjoy the flow. - Follow all the lines and complete this exercise before turning either of the papers upside down again. - Now turn both papers, and see, how have you done? If you have never drawn before, you may be surprise with your first success. If you have done drawing before, see if you can carry on with this exercise and draw few ‘upside’ drawings by selected drawings of your favourite artists. You may find this a quick way to progress your own drawing skills. - Once you complete a drawing, sign your name and add as a courtesy - ‘following.. Hokusai Mad Poet. Recommended Read Hokusai drawings / Jack Hillier/1966 Phaidon press ltd. The art of Hokusai in book illustration / Jack Hillier Hokusai sketch book / James Michener Hokusai and his age / John Carpenter Drawing on the right side of the brain / Betty Edwards Images credit copyrights 1.‘The Mad Poet’ / ink on paper / 18x40 cm / Huguette Berés collection from Jack Hillier book - Hokusai drawings, published 1966 2. Self portrait of Hokusai at eighty three / ink on paper / National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden 3. 'Strong Wind' / Hokusai sketch book / vol 15 / Artist library collection 4. 'Gust of Wind' / Hokusai sketch book / Volume 12 / Artist library collection 5. 'A gust of wind in the rice fields of Ejiri, Suruga province' (shunshū Ejiri en Suruga) / Woodblock print / c.1830 / Metropolitan Museum of Arts NY 6. ‘The Mad Poet’ / ink on paper / 27x40 cm / British Museum with permission at the student room 2000 Learn More > For the full essay and more writings on Japanese ink paintings sign up to ArtBrush Library Sign up for a one-time payment of £55 > > For an in-depth foundation course on Japanese ink painting check it out here Sign up for a one-time payment of £220 > > For other individual painting tutorials please check the link HERE Downloads for you

Calligraphy net for practice - Print and use under your practice paper