Under the Wave of Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), as known as the Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Katsushika Hokusai. Japan. 1830-1833 C.E. Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper
The Great Wave has become one of the most famous works of art in the world—and debatably the most iconic work of Japanese art. Initially, thousands of copies of this print were quickly produced and sold cheaply. Despite the fact that it was created at a time when Japanese trade was heavily restricted, Hokusai's print displays the influence of Dutch art, and proved to be inspirational for many artists working in Europe later in the nineteenth century.
Form:
- Polychrome woodblock print made of ink & color on paper
- Ukiyo-e print style
Function:
- Hokusai responding to boom in domestic travel & corresponding market for images of Mount Fuji
- Woodblock prints purchased as souvenirs
Content:
- Composition arranged to frame Mount Fuji
- White top of great wave creates diagonal line leading viewers eye directly to peak of mountain top
- Juxtaposition of large wave in forground dwarfing small mountain in distance; inclusion of men & boats amidst powerful waves
- Personification of nature, seems intent on drowning the figures on the boats
- Mount Fuji seems to be one of the waves
- Striking design contrasts water & sky w/ large areas of negative space
Context:
- Part of series of prints by Hokusai called Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji
- Mountain not the only focus in the works of the series, despite name
- Kasuchika Hokusai
- Went by many different names
- Discovered western prints from dutch trade
- Created Japanese variant of linear perspective
- Dutch influence in low horizon line & Prussian Blue
- Mount Fuji
- Highest mountain in Japan
- Considered sacred
- Ukiyo-e prints
- Name of Japanese woodblock prints made during Edo Period
- Recognizable for emphasis on line & pure bright color, & ability to distill form down to minimum
- Ukiyo-e prints extremely popular in Europe
- First time Landscape is a major theme in Japanese prints
Cross-Cultural Comparisons: Images of the Sea and Water
- Michelangelo, The Flood
- Turner, The Slave Ship
- Kusama, Narcissus Garden
