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Under the Wave off Kanagawa, also known as The Great Wave, is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, created between 1830 and 1832. It is part of Hokusai's series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which depicts Japan's tallest mountain from different angles. The Great Wave is one of the most recognisable and reproduced artworks of all time, influencing several Western artists and musicians, including Debussy, Van Gogh, and Monet.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Katsushika Hokusai |
| Other names | Hokusai aratame Iitsu hitsu |
| Date | c. 1830–32 |
| Medium | Woodblock print, ink and colour on paper |
| Dimensions | 25.7 x 37.9 cm |
| Series | Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji |
| Location | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
| Style | Ukiyo-e |
| Subject | Large wave, Mount Fuji, fishing boats |
| Interpretation | Fear of and respect for the ocean, a "yarn" told by sailors |
| Influence | Western artists and musicians, including Debussy, van Gogh, Monet, Hiroshige, and Kuniyoshi |
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What You'll Learn
The artist, Katsushika Hokusai
Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) was a Japanese artist from the Edo period (1615–1868). He is renowned for his iconic artwork, 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' (or 'Under the Wave off Kanagawa'), a woodblock print created between 1829 and 1833. This print is part of his series 'Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji' (Fugaku Sanjūrokkei).
Hokusai was born in Edo (now Tokyo) and derived his first nickname, Katsushika, from the region. He had humble origins and no surname, and throughout his career, he used over 30 names, changing his name with each new cycle of work.
Hokusai's 'Great Wave' print is considered one of the most famous and reproduced artworks globally, with thousands of copies quickly produced and sold cheaply. It depicts a massive wave in the foreground, about to crash onto three fishing boats, with Mount Fuji visible in the background. The wave appears larger than the mountain, and Hokusai's clever use of perspective makes Japan's tallest peak seem like a small triangular mound. The print measures approximately 10 x 14 inches and is created with ink and colour on paper.
The artist was interested in oblique angles, contrasts of near and far, and the interplay between the manmade and the natural world. These elements are evident in 'The Great Wave', where he juxtaposes the large wave and boats with the small mountain in the distance. Hokusai may also have been expressing a fear of and respect for the ocean, as Mount Fuji is considered sacred in Japan.
'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' has influenced several Western artists and musicians, including Debussy, Van Gogh, Monet, and Rilke. It played a role in revitalizing Western painting in the late 19th century, inspiring Impressionists and Post-impressionists. Hokusai's use of Prussian blue during the 1830s, a period known as his "blue revolution," also left a notable impact on Western artists.
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The series, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
"Under the Wave off Kanagawa", more commonly known as "The Great Wave", is the first print in the series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai. The series was produced from 1830 to 1832, when Hokusai was in his seventies and at the height of his career. It is often sold in prominent auction houses focused on Japanese art and has been exhibited in many museums around the world.
The series depicts Mount Fuji from different locations and in various seasons and weather conditions. Mount Fuji is the central figure of the series, viewed from afar or up close, during various weather conditions and seasons, and from all directions. The immediate success of the publication led to another ten prints being added to the series.
"The Great Wave" is Hokusai's most celebrated work and is often considered the most recognisable work of Japanese art in the world. It depicts three boats moving through a storm-tossed sea, with a large, cresting wave forming a spiral in the centre over the boats and Mount Fuji in the background. Hokusai cleverly played with perspective to make Japan’s grandest mountain appear as a small triangular mound within the hollow of the cresting wave.
The composition of "The Great Wave" is a synthesis of traditional Japanese prints and the use of graphical perspective developed in Europe. The print is notable for its fusion of Eastern and Western influences and its brilliant blue palette, produced using a combination of indigo and the first modern synthetic pigment, Prussian blue. The use of Prussian blue revolutionised Japanese prints.
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The printmaking technique, Ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e (浮世絵) is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. The term translates to "pictures of the floating world". The word ukiyo-e originally reflected the Buddhist concept of life as a transitory illusion, involving a cycle of birth, suffering, death, and rebirth. However, during the Edo period, the term became associated with the hedonistic pleasures of people, who embraced them for their ever-changing nature.
Ukiyo-e is a Japanese printmaking technique that involves a collaborative four-person woodblock printing process: the publisher, artist, carver, and printer. Paper came in three typical sizes: chuban ("medium block"), aiban ("medium-large block"), and oban ("large block"), the standard size used for ukiyo-e. About 200 prints, the usual edition of any particular design, could be made in one day. The soft, water-soluble colours, derived from plant and mineral sources until the late nineteenth century, were applied in relatively large flat areas bordered by the fine line drawing of the design. Even when artists borrowed shading techniques from the West, the woodblock process still created an essentially flat image, one of the special characteristics of Japanese prints.
Ukiyo-e prints often depicted the theme of sudden gusts of wind or rain showers, showing nature's constant presence by its unpredictable effects. For example, one iconic print depicts people crossing the Shin-Ōhashi wooden bridge as they are caught in a sudden rainstorm. The closest figures, two women, take shelter under their umbrellas, while a number of men use their hats or capes for protection from the rain.
Ukiyo-e was one of the first forms of Japanese art that made its way to Europe and America with the opening of trade between the countries. The influence that this exposure had on the West became known as Japonism, defined by an interest in the aesthetics of the style. This would go on to influence many Western artists and movements such as Impressionism, Art Nouveau, and Modernism.
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The boats in the image
The Great Wave off Kanagawa, a woodblock print by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai, depicts three boats navigating a tumultuous sea, with a towering wave forming a spiral in the centre and Mount Fuji in the background. The boats, identified as oshiokuri-bune, or fast barges, were commonly used to transport live fish from the Izu and Bōsō peninsulas to markets in Edo Bay (present-day Tokyo). Each boat is manned by eight rowers, with two additional crew members at the front, amounting to a total of thirty men, although only twenty-two are visible in the artwork.
The direction of the boats has been interpreted as evidence that the print should be viewed from right to left, as is traditional for Japanese paintings and script. This interpretation is supported by the tapering bow of the top boat facing left, suggesting that the boats are moving against the current in a rightward direction, as seen in Hokusai's other works such as Sōshū Chōshi from the series Chie no umi ("Oceans of Wisdom").
The size of the boats provides a sense of scale for the towering wave, which looms over them. The oshiokuri-bune typically ranged from 12 to 15 metres (39 to 49 feet) in length, and by accounting for Hokusai's reduction of the vertical scale by 30%, the wave is estimated to stand between 10 and 12 metres (33 to 39 feet) high. This massive wave, about to engulf the small boats, captures the drama and power of the natural world, contributing to the artwork's enduring popularity.
The boats in The Great Wave off Kanagawa are not merely passive observers of the majestic wave but active participants in the narrative of man's struggle against the forces of nature. This theme may be a reference to Buddhist philosophy, where human affairs are ephemeral, and the boats, swept away by the giant wave, become a visual metaphor for the transient nature of life. The inclusion of Mount Fuji in the background, a symbol of serenity and permanence, further accentuates the fleeting nature of the boats' journey across the turbulent sea.
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The influence on Western art
"Under the Wave off Kanagawa", also known as "The Great Wave off Kanagawa", is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Hokusai. It is considered an iconic and definitive piece of Japanese art and is possibly the most reproduced image in the history of art. The work has influenced several Western artists, musicians, and writers, and popularised Japanese art in the West.
The opening of Japan to the West after the 1868 Meiji Restoration saw much Japanese art exported to Europe and America. This exchange influenced Western culture, a movement known as Japonisme. "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" is considered the most famous Japanese print and inspired several notable works.
In painting, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" influenced Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh wrote that he had a "terrifying" emotional response to the use of colour in the print, and "The Great Wave" is thought to have inspired his "Starry Night". The print also influenced the work of Hiroshige, who paid homage to it with his print "The Sea off Satta in Suruga Province".
In music, Claude Debussy kept a copy of "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" in his studio while working on "La Mer". Debussy, who loved the sea and painted images of the Far East, was inspired by the print and asked for the image to be used on the cover of the original 1905 score.
In literature, Rainer Maria Rilke's "Der Berg" was inspired by "The Great Wave off Kanagawa".
The work has also inspired sculptures, such as William Pye's "Kanagawa", which was influenced by what Pye describes as Hokusai's "immense power of nature as manifested in great waves on the sea".
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Frequently asked questions
Under Wave off Kanagawa, also known as The Great Wave, is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai.
It was made sometime between 1829 and 1833, or c. 1830–32 according to another source.
The painting is one of the most reproduced illustrations in the world and is considered one of the most famous works of Japanese art. It is also said to have inspired several Western artists and musicians, including Debussy, Van Gogh, Monet, Hiroshige, and Kuniyoshi.
The painting depicts a large wave in the foreground that appears to be about to crush three fishing boats. In the background is Mount Fuji, which is the central figure of the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series, of which this painting is a part.
