The sign that becomes life. Hokusai at the Elena Salamon Gallery in Turin – Turin – Arte.it

Turin – There’s a reason why Hokusai chose his last name Gakyō rōjin Manjithe “old man who loves to draw”.
The exhibition that the Elena Salamon Gallery dedicates to the master of the floating worlds starts from the philosophy behind this artistic name, which carries with it the absolute dedication of a man who searched for perfection and truth all his life, even in one line.
Valley March 6 to April 24 the space in Piazzetta IV Marzo with the route “Hokusai. The Sign That Becomes Life” will house more than 180 original woodblock prints by Katsushika Hokusai, testifying to the profound cultural revolution sparked by the arrival of his works in Europe. Initially, the production of the Japanese genius ended up in Europe by chance as packaging material for porcelain, but attracted the attention of artists of the caliber of Monet, Degas, Gauguin, Van Gogh and Whistler. The Western masters were so enchanted by these visions that they derived from them a compositional freedom and a formal synthesis capable of radically changing the course of the history of modern art.
Today, two centuries later, the influence of the master who bridged the Eastern and Western worlds remains vital, as evidenced by contemporary manga and design, by Kenzo fashion, by tattoos, by digital graphics. Shown are the two polychrome woodcuts from the series Waterfall tour in different provinces (Shokoku Taki Meguricirca 1832-1834), with their chromatic intensity they juxtapose The laughing demon Hannya (Warai Hannya, 1831), one of the rarest masterpieces of Hokusai’s entire output. With its sardonic grin, protruding horns and sharp claws, the statue depicts the vengeful female spirit of the Hannya, born from jealousy and transformed into a terrifying creature.

Katsushika Hokusai, The Laughing Ghost, Warai Hannya, color woodblock print – Series: Hiyaku monogatari (The Hundred Ghost Tales), circa 1831

As the eight prints from the series are known as Little Tokaido (Tokaido Gojusan-eki), present here in examples from the Meiji era, testifying to the first creative season, a polychrome print with the famous Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji(Fugaku Sanjūrokkei, 1830-1832) tells of Hokusai’s dedication to international fame. And again One hundred views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku Hyakkei, circa 1834-1835) – 102 prints in three shades of gray, considered one of the highlights of the artist’s production – in addition to the 55 woodcuts from the collection Conveying the spirit, revealing the shape of things through a single brushstroke (Denshin kaishu Ippitsu gafu, 1823), which enchants with the freshness of refined notes of turquoise and intense pink. The title itself expresses Hokusai’s entire philosophy: the belief that art must go beyond the simple reproduction of reality to capture the vital energy of each subject. Even Van Gogh testified in an 1888 letter to his brother Theo how Hokusai’s charm was contained “in the ability to remove the superfluous to make the essential shine.”

The review ends with three complete parts of the trilogy Illustrated warriors of China and Japan (Wakan ehon sakigake, 1836), black-and-white woodcuts in which Hokusai pours extraordinary vitality into the figures of the legendary heroes of the tradition.

«It was my grandmother – explains curator Elena Salamon – who passed on her love for Hokusai to me. She headed the first female gallery in the city and was the first to introduce Japanese prints to Turin in 1969. He taught me to understand the essential simplicity and poetry of Hokusai, expressed in a universal language that can move through the ages. This exhibition brings together specimens acquired over the years and creates a journey through the key moments of its production.”

A production that accompanied the maestro until the last moment when, at the age of 89, with the humility that guides the secret of his greatness, he said: «If Heaven had granted me another ten or even five years of life, I could have become a real artist.»

The exhibition is part of the 2026 Turin Cultural Panorama and offers the public the opportunity to personally admire works that are normally only accessible in major international museums.