Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa: A Masterpiece of Japanese Art

This is "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" by Katsushika Hokusai, arguably the most famous piece of Ukiyo-e art in the world.
Today, let’s dive into what makes Hokusai’s work so extraordinary.

Hokusai demonstrated immense artistic talent from a young age, becoming a popular artist even in his time.
His works span a broad range of subjects, from landscapes and portraits to plants, animals, still life, and even mythical creatures like dragons and yokai (Japanese spirits).
With over 30,000 works attributed to him, Hokusai’s versatility is unmatched.

His style is not limited to realism, either.
His "Hokusai Manga," a collection of sketches, showcases a more exaggerated and playful approach that could be considered the ancestor of modern manga.
By 1843, Hokusai Manga had even been added to the collection of France's National Library, marking the start of his growing influence in Europe.

Artists of the 19th century, particularly painters, were deeply impacted by Hokusai’s work, with The Great Wave off Kanagawa leaving a particularly strong impression.
Vincent van Gogh once praised this iconic wave in a letter to his brother, writing, “.These waves are claws, the boat is caught in them, you can feel it... if we made the colour very correct or the drawing very correct, we wouldn’t create those emotions.”

Hokusai’s wave was drawn solely from his keen powers of observation—there were no cameras at the time.
Yet, remarkably, the shape of the wave closely resembles images captured by modern high-speed cameras.
His attention to detail is astounding, but what’s even more fascinating is that the location depicted in the artwork rarely experiences waves of that size.
As van Gogh noted, it is Hokusai’s unique combination of observation, imagination, and stylization that makes this piece a true masterpiece.

Despite being a genius artist, Hokusai was also known for his eccentricities.
He was notorious for quarreling with clients, indifferent to food and money, and he lived in clutter, constantly moving when his living space became too chaotic to continue working.
His dedication to perfecting his art never wavered, and at the age of 88, on his deathbed, he famously lamented, “If only Heaven would give me five more years, I could become a true painter.”

In 1999, 150 years after his death, Hokusai was the only Japanese person to be named in Life magazine’s “100 Most Important People of the Last 1,000 Years.”
His original works fetch high prices at auctions, and in 2024, The Great Wave off Kanagawa was even selected to adorn Japanese banknotes.

Why not take a moment to appreciate the genius of Hokusai by bringing this masterpiece into your life?
Whether you’re an art lover or simply curious, The Great Wave is more than just an image—it’s a window into the mind of one of history’s greatest artists.