It has fallen to few great artists to live impressively long lives. Indeed, I can knock off the list for you right now — Titian, Michelangelo, Picasso, Hokusai. That’s it. These are the giants who got near to 90 or beyond. It’s one of the smallest and most illustrious clusters in art.
Some might be surprised to see Hokusai on my list. Not because you doubt he lived to his late eighties, but because you doubt he deserves to be known as a great artist. As a master of Japanese prints, the best known such master, he was certainly an achiever, but can he really be compared to Michelangelo or Picasso? Is being a master of Japanese prints enough?
The answer to all
