AHIST1401 UNIT1 Discussion Forum: The Great Wave

Choose and identify your favorite work of art. Your choice can be from any time and place and can challenge the traditional definitions of art. What visual qualities make this item your favorite? Include in your discussion, as appropriate, descriptions of the artist’s (or creator’s) use of formal elements such as line, shape, color, space and other design elements. You may wish to include a link to an image of your chosen item (if available) to assist your classmates in their participation.

 

 

 

 

My favorite artwork is "Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji" by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). It consists of 36 woodblock prints modeled on Japanese Mt.Fuji and views around it. The most famous work is "Under the Wave off Kanagawa," commonly called The Great Wave.

 

Katsushika Hokusai has fascinated people by drawing all kinds of objects, such as the flow of water and the wind, which exist in this world even if we are not visible. It is the expression of "wave" that Hokusai continued to challenge with particular attention in his life, and Hokusai drew waves many times in his life and tried and tried to capture the movement of water that can be transformed (Clark & Katsushika, 2011).

 

Hokusai was learning not only existing Japanese paintings (ukiyo-e) but also Western painting techniques that were rare at the time, and it can be said that this work is strongly influenced by Western painting. The vigorous splashing of the waves is expressed with realism, and by bringing the viewpoint low, the small boat that seems to be swallowed at any moment and the presence of Mt. Fuji that rises quietly are combined; it gives the feeling of a big wave approaching vigorously to the viewer.

 

He painted this work in his early 70s, and here is the prototype work he drew when he was 45 years old.　

 

 

We can see how he was influenced and developed by Western painting at a glance. He is an interesting artist who changed his name 30 times and moved his residence 93 times during his entire life (Hiro, 2018). He was already a famous painter in his 40s, but he kept struggling to develop his own skills and create something more beautiful until he passed away at 90 years old. I think it is very attractive to be able to feel his life and development through the work.

 

Unlike a normal painting, woodblock print can print many, so the public could easily get his work in bookstores at that time. Ukiyo-e is a culture born from such enjoyment of the general public. In the 1830s, when ceramics were exported from Japan to Europe, his work was accidentally used as a cushioning material, and Hokusai's work spread to Europe, causing Japonism. As a result, his work influenced French Impressionist painters Claude Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and others (Van Gogh Museum, n.d.).

 

Van Gogh's work influenced by Japonism

Thank you for reading, guys. Please share your opinions:)                                            (404 words)

 

 

References

 

Clark, T., & Katsushika, H. (2011). Hokusai's Great Wave. British Museum Press.Retrieved from https://books.google.co.jp/books?hl=ja&lr=lang_ja|lang_en&id=kmMaAAAAYAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Katsushika+Hokusai&ots=nEOQb1pADa&sig=Ic_Ov18Kl9shQJaaYpy6hi4iSbI#v=onepage&q=Katsushika%20Hokusai&f=false

 

Hiro. (2018). Unknown character of Katsushika Hokusai, who moved 93 times. OrientalSouls.com. Retrieved  from https://orientalsouls.com/blog/japanese-art/ukiyo-e/unknown-character-of-katsushika-hokusai-who-moved-93-times/

 

Van Gogh Museum. (n.d.).Inspiration from Japan - Van Gogh Museum. Retrieved from https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/stories/inspiration-from-japan#2