Late Hokusai: Thought, technique, society (britishmuseum.org)

Hahaha this. I remember watching a video where an art critic tries to explain this work without saying "it's early erotica". Was it sister Wendy Beckett? Drawing a blank, this was in middle school art history class.

For those interested in a print: http://theoctopusprint.com/

traditional ukiyo-e had a strong division of labor between the stages of production until the shin-hanga movement, and lots of western painters also had workshops of apprentices, I do think it gets popularly glossed over a lot

still happens with modern artists like damien hirst

Not too different from Damien Hurst, then

Really common practice for a lot of artists - iirc, people like Vermeer to Michelangelo to some Impressionists did it as well.

Seems similar to modern day comic pencillers and inkers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inker

He was an obsessive sketcher. Hokusai's Manga, a compendium of his sketches over a lifetime offer an anthropologically comprehensive observation of pre-modern Japanese life. You would be hard pressed to find as comprehensive an observation of any culture within a single body of work.

Mokuhankan produces traditional ukiyo-e prints from their Asakusa shop. They have done a new production of "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" Hokusai's preeminent work, but the print runs are limited so get in line.