Even a year’s worth of Hokusai may not be enough to display his genius

There are a lot of origin points one might pick for what we now call modern art in Europe. There were changes in science, industry, politics and everyday culture that came with the spread of electric light and the camera. Then there was the arrival of the U.S. Navy in Japan in the 1850s, an undiplomatic episode of bullying and force majeure that “opened” Japan to the West. That meant exposure to Japanese art for Western artists and collectors, and the impact was enormous.