Katsushika Hokusai - Workers preparing sacks of wheat This woodcut from a series of books called “Manga” belongs to studies of the daily life of the Japanese working class. It depicts hardworking men while loading and carrying sacks filled with wheat and other goods. By using small marks, Hokusai makes the scene dynamic and, despite lacking a unified pattern and being characterized by the fragmentation of the characters, it re-creates a very evocative and empathetic choral scene. Van Gogh, stunned by the vision of a working class relegated to hard daily work, became involved, as he also had a passion for the humble workers that he often portrayed. Poem by Minamoto no Muneyuki Ason Katsushika Hokusai, who was considered one of the greatest Japanese painters and printmakers of all time, owes his reputation mainly to his extraordinary prints, which inspired not only Japanese art, but also much of Western art, especially between the 19th and 20th centuries. Artists such as Monet, Toulouse Lautrec, Gauguin and Van Gogh were charmed by him. Particularly known for his artworks in the Ukiyo-e style (images of the floating world), he was the creator of the term “Manga”, which is still used today for illustrations of stories and tales. Among his most famous works, together with the woodcut dedicated to the poet Minamoto no Muneyuki, there is The Great Wave, considered one of the all-time masterpieces, which became a global icon along with The Scream by Much, Sunflowers by Van Gogh, Water Lilies by Monet, and Marylin by Warhol. The series of One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji and the aforementioned series One Hundred Poems, of which Minamoto's Poem is one of the masterpieces. The scene generates a double vision of the cold, represented by a snowy landscape broken by the human warmth of the woodcutters who, gathered around a fire, make gestures and manners conveying the joy of being in the warmth of the burning fire, whose coils of smoke cut across the scene. On the upper right, there is a poem by Minamoto in Waka Chinese-inspired style. The Great Wave of Kanagawa It is maybe the most famous among Hokusai's artworks. It blends Eastern and Western compositional elements, and this is the reason why it was probably the source of inspiration for several artists. Part of Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, appearing in the background overhung by the great wave, this artwork proposes a meditation on the power of nature, here evident in the contrast between the magnificent wave hanging over the gigantic volcano, which appears like a small minor bulge. Despite being in the middle of the scene, Mount Fuji nearly disappears in front of the wave power. This image implies a meditation on the transience of human thought, which is always dominated by the power of nature: this represents a warning that is even more relevant in the troubled time we are living, with nature slowly rebelling against our reckless way of life. Just like Van Gogh, Monet was a great enthusiast for Japanese art, whose several woodcuts he kept in his atelier, including The Wave, which the Giverny Museum reissued in his honor, putting the Monet cachet in the bottom of the print sheet. Nishikawa Sukenobu Born and lived in Kyoto, he was among the great masters of Japanese painting, and became popular for his portraits of women, which he idealized and to whom he dedicated a very famous series, Appreciating 100 Women. This series made him very famous throughout Japan. His artworks are highly sophisticated as well as appreciated for their warm, delicate colors and harmonious figures. Appreciated by the Impressionists and Van Gogh, along with Hokusai and Hiroshige, he formed a triad which was very important for the birth of modern Western art.