Artists You Should Know: Hokusai

From the Art History mailbag:

"Dear Ma'am,

Is manga art? I really like it and anime, but my art teacher says it's not really good art. I'd like to know what you think and also if you know the first artist who made manga.

Sincerely,

Michael"

Dear, dear Michael. It's certainly not my place to second-guess your art teacher, who is entitled to his or her opinion. But since you asked, yes, I do think manga and anime are art forms, created by artists. I also think a lot of each - as with any other type of art, created by many other artists - are examples of "good" art. However - and pay attention now - it absolutely does not matter what either your teacher or I think of manga as an art form. It's entirely up to you. If this type of art fires your imagination more than the Old Masters do, go, explore and revel in it! You may develop a life-long love of Japanese art. You may find that your tastes change and lead you elsewhere over time. Either way it's OK; the whole point of "Art Appreciation" is supposed to lay in discovering how art speaks to us as individuals.

As to your second question, yes, I do know which artist is said to have originated the term "manga." Credit goes to the prolific 18th-19th century printmaker Hokusai, who (among many other things) studied Western art, created his own style of Japanese art and then, in turn, exerted a great influence upon Western art. I've written up a profile of Hokusai for you, in thanks for your writing and asking questions. (P.S. I'll leave it to you whether or not this is a useful tidbit for the "really good art" debate, but, one of the artists on whom Hokusai's prints had a massive impact was a guy named Vincent van Gogh.)