In the manner of Katsushika Hokusai
Japanese, 1760–1849
Cyclists Crossing at Shibuya, 2026
Woodblock print
26 × 39 cm
Never painted.
Commissioned for the collection, 2026.
PAB 2026.5.3
← Wind Tunnel on the Expressway Snow at the Charging Station →
A wave of cyclists and umbrellas surges across the zebra crossing, so dense that at the left edge it simply turns into a wave, foam and all. In front, a man in a patterned jacket leans into his pedals. Far off, a single thin tower stands still. Hokusai drew crowds the way he drew water, as one mass with a mind of its own. The crossing proves him right every ninety seconds.
The brief
A wave of cyclists and umbrellas surging across a huge crossing, a single skyscraper tiny and still in the far distance. Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print, flat areas of Prussian blue, indigo, ochre and pale cream, bold outlined forms, stylised curling waves and clouds, a small distant landmark anchoring the composition, dramatic foreground movement, visible wood grain and slight registration offset, rice paper texture. Museum photograph of the print on paper, flat even lighting, no frame, no text, no wall, no floor, cropped to the edge of the sheet.
Written to the house rules. The painter's name does not appear.
Take it home
The painting on this room's wall, at its own proportions, nothing written on it.
