Going to the British Museum is always delightful. Its architecture alone is stunning and unsurprisingly one of the most instagrammable places in London.
I had not been there for a long time and truly appreciated my visit last week, marveling at The Great Court and very pleased with the Hokusai exhibition. “The Great Picture Book of Everything” is definitely worth the visit, especially if you are a fan of Hokusai, Japan, illustrations, or history…
Today, DOYOUSPEAKLONDON invites you to discover a collection of rare drawings by Katsushika Hokusai at The British Museum!

The British Museum

I told about my first visit to The British Museum on this blog, where I highlighted the amazing collections of objects presented there. Today, I’d like to give a bit of introduction to The Great Hall.

Initially, the courtyard at the centre of the museum was meant to be a garden, with the Reading Room at the heart of it. But (luckily) in 1997, it was decided that the library department would be relocated to the British Library, and a competition was launched to redesign the courtyard space.

Architect Norman Foster won the competition and redesigned the courtyard as the largest covered public square in Europe, with a renowned steel-and-glass roof.

The Great Court opened in December 2000, “increasing the museum’s public space by 40%, and allowing free circulation around the main floor for the first time in 150 years”!

It’s very impressive to walk around such audacious architecture and I  could not stop admiring the different lines, shapes, and the opposition in styles (ancient and modern) this Great Hall counts!

Hokusai “the great picture book of everything”

Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) is one of Japan’s best-loved and most inventive artists.

His painting “Under the waves off Kanagawa”, also called “The great wave”, is his most famous artwork. But above all, Hokusai “transformed the ukiyo-e artform from a style of portraiture largely focused on courtesans and actors into a much broader style of art that focused on landscapes, plants, and animals”.

Hokusai was renowned for being “innovative in his compositions and exceptional in his drawing technique”, which makes him one of the greatest masters in the history of art.

This exhibition, “The great picture book of everything”, showcases “103 recently acquired drawings by Hokusai, produced in the 1820s–1840s for an illustrated encyclopedia called The Great Picture Book of Everything”.

Fortunately for us, this book was never published at the time. It means that all drawings and illustrations were saved, as “they would otherwise have been destroyed as part of the woodblock printing process”…

The exhibition is very very detailed and presents lots of drawings and illustrations with their interpretations.

I love the fact that behind each drawing, there’s a story, a myth, a legend just waiting to be understood.
While walking from one drawing to another and observing the visitors, I heard some people laughing, some others staring passionately at the artworks as if they were mesmerized. It’s nice to see how this Japanese artist still arouses curiosity among all generations (but I guess the attraction for Japanese Mangas in the last few years might have increased the interest in Hokusai’s illustrations).

The exhibition also features several artifacts, like Hokusai’s sketches books, which is extraordinary when you know that they date back to the early 19th century!

I enjoyed the explanation of the woodblock print process, which gave more insight into Hokusai’s working practices. This is where you understand that both Hokusai and the publisher had to work hand in hand to make sure of the quality and conformity to the initial drawing were respected.

Of course, The Great Wave is presented in the exhibition, mentioning that there were different versions from Hokusai and showing us the work of specialists at The British Museum to see the differences between the prints and interpret them.

I highly recommend this exhibition, whether you are a fan or just curious. This exhibition gives you the opportunity to discover a great Museum with stunning architecture and enjoy a comprehensive and fascinating exhibition of one of the most interesting artists.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and found inspiration here. If you are about to visit The British Museum soon, please share your experience and opinion on DOYOUSPEAKLONDON’s blog!

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To go further:

“The Great Picture Book of Everything” until 30 January 2022
Adults from £9, Members and under 16s free
Daily: 10.00–17.00 (Fridays 20.30)
The British Museum: Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG
Website

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