He was a passionate seeker — a curious artist who refused to be confined by the tight boundaries of a particular aesthetic tradition.
He did not care much for convention either: In pre-modern Japan, allegiance to a single authority was the norm, but he constantly sought the guidance of a broad range of masters. It was done discreetly, of course, lest anyone take offence, but even when they did, it didn't seem to bother him that much.
This man was Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), an artist whose career spanned eight decades, during which time he produced 3,000 woodblock designs, more than 1,000 paintings, hundreds of drawings and 200 illustrated books — all in a wide range of styles.
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