1. Running head: AN APPRECIATION OF ART--IT COMES IN WAVES 1
An Appreciation of Art--It comes in Waves
James Wilson
ARTS / 230
July 27,2015
Taurie Kinoshita

2. AN APPRECIATION OF ART--IT COMES IN WAVES 2
An Appreciation of Art--It comes in Waves
The world that surrounds us, the magnificent beauty of nature in itself, is a work of art.
Landscape art falls under the category of Contemporary Arts, a subdivision of the Visual Arts.
Our environment, whether it is the beauty of a sunset, the magnificence of a vast mountain, a
flowing, peaceful river, or the greenery of a forest, it captures our hearts, inspires creativity, and
provides many people with an inner peace. Charles Caleb Colton is credited with saying
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” (Martin, 2015). It is for this reason we will do an in-
depth analysis of one of the most reproduced works of art in Japanese history, a woodblock print
known as The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, by Katsukisha Hokusai.
Introduction of the Piece and the Elements of Visual Design
The Great Wave Off Kanagawa is the first print in a series of prints titled Thirty-six views
of Mount Fuji, which Hokusai created from 1830-1833. The prints became popular among
tourists and religious zealots, as souvenirs who often made the pilgrimage to climb the sacred
Mount Fuji. The series popularity resulted in the creation of ten additional prints. The six
elements of visual design are listed as line, space, light and color, texture, pattern, and time and
motion (Sayre, 2013). Hokusai studied linear perspective in Western prints that reached Japan
via Dutch trade and created a Japanese variant of linear perspective. Evidence of the Dutch
influence in his work is use of a low horizon line, and the wave was colored with a brand new
beautiful blue pigment color called Prussian Blue (Nirel, 2015). The curved upward lines of the
enormous wave in the foreground create a claw-like crest. The monstrous wave is about to crash
down on three boats of Japanese fishermen possibly symbolizing the power of nature and
weakness of human beings. An interesting note is that the secondary wave in the foreground is

3. AN APPRECIATION OF ART--IT COMES IN WAVES 3
exactly the same outline as Mount Fuji. Mount Fuji, which appears miniscule in the background,
looks as though it will also be swallowed up by the wave. It is said that Hokusai studied waves
for over thirty years before creating his masterpiece. The top of the wave creates a diagonal line
that leads the viewer’s eye directly to the mountaintop. White water spray falling from the
crashing wave could easily be interpreted as snow falling on Mount Fuji (Harris, 2015). Implied
lines from the crashing wave suggest the forces of gravity and direction of the seas surface and
travel from left to right. Hokusai is reported as saying that since Japanese read from right to left,
it gives the perspective of splashing in the viewer’s face (Tyrrell, 2011).
The Great Wave In Relation to the Five Principles of Visual Design
In the textbook A World of Art, 7th ed. Sayre describes in detail the five principles of
visual design. They are listed as 1) balance 2) emphasis and focal point 3) scale and proportion
4) repetition and rhythm 5) unity and variety. Hokusai’s great wave is considered a masterpiece
of unity, harmony and balance painted from the perspective of the sea. He creates unity by
careful organization of repetitions in shapes, colors, textures and patterns to create a visual
harmony in a chaotic nature scene. The composition is arranged to frame Mount Fuji, even
though the large wave is the focal point. The colors are simple tones of pale yellows, whites, and
dark blues and the color scheme of the waves are monochromatic. Nothing really stands out
color wise and everything mirrors each other visually, like the boats to the sky and the waves to
Mount Fuji. The interesting thing about the visual composition of the piece is it is perfectly
balanced with a variety of opposites. They are 1) the movement of the ocean versus the solid
fixed point of Mount Fuji, a symbol that signifies stillness and eternity to the Japanese people 2)
the contrasts of dark versus light 3) a calm sky versus a turbulent sea and 4) a tiny mountain

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(which is actually 12,000 feet high and the highest mountain in Japan) versus an enormous wave.
The repetition of the color of the fisherman's hats and clothes and their small size suggest that in
the natural world, people are insignificant.
Significance of the Artist and the Great Wave
Katsushika Hokusai, was born in 1760 in Edo (now Tokyo), and learned to paint from his
father. During this time, Japan was in a state of Feudalism, and very much isolated from the rest
of the world, with only limited trade with China and Holland allowed. He started work as a
woodblock engraver at fifteen years old as an apprentice. At eighteen years old he was admitted
into the Katsukawa Art Studio (htt4). Hokusai is considered Japan’s most famous artist and
believed to produce over 30,000 prints over the course of his lifetime. In the 1850’s, American
naval commodore Matthew C. Perry forced trade to open up with Japan and the West. In 1867,
Hokusai’s work was on display at the International Exposition in Paris, and a craze for collecting
Japonisme art ensued. Hokusai’s works of were said to be great sources of inspiration for the
great artists Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and the French impressionist composer Claude
Debussy. As mentioned before, imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery. Although the
Great Wave was created in 1831, this great work of art is still on display at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, the Art Institute of Chicago and
the National Library of France (Nirel, 2015). The piece was featured in a British Broadcasting
Company (BBC) documentary series called The Private Life of a Masterpiece as well as the
subject of episode 93 of the BBC series A History of the World in 100 Objects, broadcast in
September 2010. The print is also the inspiration for the Quicksilver surf and clothing company
logo. Big Wave Surfing is famous on the North Shore of Hawaii. A legendary lifeguard and

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surfer from Hawaii, named Eddie Aikau, was lost at sea trying to rescue people from a capsized
canoe. Quicksilver now sponsors “The Eddie”, a Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie
Aikau at Waimea Bay. Art is said to inspire, and even though the Great Wave off of Kanagawa
is monstrous, and that Landscape Art depicts people as insignificant in comparison to nature,
most Hawaiian people believe that to save the fishermen’s lives, “Eddie Would Go.”

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References
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://ohspta.digitalpto.com/files/2013/09/Hokusai-Oct-1.pdf
Harris, L. A. (2015). Hokusai-Under the Great Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave). Retrieved
from Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/art-japan/edo-
period/a/hokusai-under-the-wave-off-kanagawa-the-great-wave
Martin, G. (2015). Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Retrieved from The Phrase Finder:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/imitation-is-the-sincerest-form-of-flattery.html
Nirel, H. (2015). The Great Wave. Retrieved from The Culture Trip: Japan-the best food, art,
culture, travel: http://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/hokusai-s-great-wave/
Sayre, H. M. (2013). The Formal Elements and their Design. In H. M. Sayre, A World of Art, 7th
ed. (pp. Ch 4-8). Pearson Education.
Tyrrell, K. (2011, March 13). The Story of the Great Wave off Kanagawa. Retrieved from The
Art of the Landscape: http://art-landscape.blogspot.com/2011/03/story-of-great-wave-off-
kanagawa.html
Visual Art: Definition and Meaning. (2015). Retrieved from Encyclopedia of Art Education:
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/definitions/visual-art.htm