Great Wave at Kanagawa
Artist: Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760-1849)
Date: 1830s
Dimensions:
14 5/8 x 10 1/16 in. (37.1 x 25.6 cm)
Medium: woodblock print
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Carrie L. Brown Bequest Fund
Object number: 1951.292
Label Text:The Edo period (1615–1868) in Japan witnessed the transition from feudal samurai culture to a trade-based society. A new merchant class arose that had wealth but no possibility of gaining power or social position. These chonin dedicated themselves instead to the pursuit of pleasure: the distractions of teahouses, licensed brothels, theater, fashion, nature, and art. Such fleeting pleasures of everyday life were known as the Floating World.
Edo chonin collected woodblock prints of the people, places, and activities that represented the ideals of the Floating World, called ukiyo-e (“pictures of the Floating World”). Hokusai was one of the last, and one of the greatest, ukiyo-e masters. His series Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji celebrated the famous mountain while inventively showcasing everyday Japanese life. In Great Wave at Kanagawa the crashing sea and tossing boats frame the diminutive Mt. Fuji, capturing the thrill of nature’s unpredictable power.
Edo chonin collected woodblock prints of the people, places, and activities that represented the ideals of the Floating World, called ukiyo-e (“pictures of the Floating World”). Hokusai was one of the last, and one of the greatest, ukiyo-e masters. His series Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji celebrated the famous mountain while inventively showcasing everyday Japanese life. In Great Wave at Kanagawa the crashing sea and tossing boats frame the diminutive Mt. Fuji, capturing the thrill of nature’s unpredictable power.
Not on view
In Collection(s)