Pierre-François Souyri: “Admiring Hokusai’s works is a bit like traveling to Japan”
A former university professor specializing in Japanese history, Pierre-François Souyri is the author of several reference books on the subject, including Nouvelle histoire du Japon (Perrin, 2023). He contributed to the copious, richly illustrated work published (in French and Japanese) on the occasion of the exhibition devoted to Hokusai, presented until September 7 at the Château des Ducs de Bretagne, in Nantes.
Even before its opening, more than 40,000 people had booked their tickets for the "Hokusai" exhibition in Nantes. How do you explain the enthusiasm for this Japanese artist?The Wave , of course! It's this work that creates this attraction. Its motif has been so widely used and caricatured by designers and publicists, much more so than Western paintings like the Mona Lisa. Moreover, there is currently a strong attraction to Japan, which, thanks to intense soft power and a favorable yen, is becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations. Admiring Hokusai's works is a bit like traveling to Japan.
Precisely, what image of Japan do his works convey?You have 62.8% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
Le Monde
