As a small 'a' artist, that is, one who has not tried to make a living through his art, I have profound admiration for those who have lived the life of an artist. Whether they did so successfully or not doesn't matter. It is a struggle just to create a personal art form; to have it understood and accepted can be an even more difficult task. To do this and get financial recognition is almost more than can be hoped for.
I have written in earlier posts about my appreciation of Japanese printmakers. Most people know that they had a profound effect on the French impressionists and, therefore, on modern western art. What I learned just recently was that the French discovered these amazing works of art because the prints, which had gone through periods of increasing and declining popularity in Japan, were thought of such little value in their native land during the mid-nineteenth century, that they were used to wrap other goods which were being exported to Europe. This is how the European artists discovered them, as wrapping paper.
The above print is by Hiroshige who lived from 1797 to 1858.
