Katsushika Hokusai, debatably the most well-known artist to rise from Japan, spent almost his entire life devoted to his art. Around 1831 he created his most famous work, which later became a renowned image for Japanese art: ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’ (otherwise known as ‘The Great Wave’).
Short Biography of Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849)
Hokusai was born in Japan into an artisan family. He began painting at the age of six, most likely influenced by his father who produced and painted mirrors. At the age of fourteen he became an apprentice to a wood-carver where he worked until he was eighteen, and he was subsequently accepted into the studio of Katsukawa Shunsho – an artist who specialised in wood block prints and paintings.
Katsushika Hokusai was known by a minimum of thirty names during his lifetime, far exceeding the number of names of any other major Japanese artist. Hokusai had a long career as an artist and produced many works during the Edo period, but created his most influential works after the age of sixty – including ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’. On his deathbed he reportedly he apparently exclaimed: "If only Heaven will give me just another ten years... Just another five more years, then I could become a real painter."
‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’ by Katsushika Hokusai
‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’ (painted around 1831) was one painting in a series of 36 paintings of Mount Fuji. It was in the 1920s and early 1930s that Hokusai reached the peak of his career, and this painting which arguably he is most well-known for. Originally, it was a small colour woodcut in a sketchbook of block prints, known as the ‘Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji’.
Brief Analysis of ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’
The emphasis in this piece is clearly the overpowering, dominant wave which consumes more than half of the space; the tiny boats and the even smaller peak of Mount Fuji serve only to highlight the force of the water. The dramatically curved, upwards line of the wave frames the mountain, whilst the jagged ends act as claws which almost personify the waves into a hunter grasping at its prey; the frail, delicate fishing boats seem to have no chance against the water.
Hokusai makes the viewer experience tension and a strong sense of danger as the wave halts, frozen in time, above the boats. It is threatening; representing the awe of nature’s power. The balance between the water and other elements within the seascape emphasize the movement and a perfect balance between the authority and the beauty of nature. It is strange how although Hokusai presents a sea storm, the sun is still lighting up the sky.
Western Influence in ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’
Ironically, despite this infamous piece epitomising Japanese art, its roots lie firmly in Western culture. Traditional Japanese artists would not have cared for painting low-class fishermen or nature, and would not have bothered with perspective. Hokusai resists such conventional Japanese methods, and instead seeks influence from Western Art.
The fine, intricate details, wide perspective and composition juxtaposing ordinary humans with nature were concepts unfamiliar to Japanese artists, but very well-known to Western artists. Essentially, Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’ is fundamentally a Western painting, but from the outlook of a native Japanese artist.
By the 1880s, Japanese prints – like the art produced by Hokusai – were incredibly popular in Western culture. Hokusai’s work sparked the interest of many European artists, including Van Gogh, who went on to develop Japonaiserie – a style of art influenced by such Japanese art.
Source:
KatsushikaHokusai.org: Katsushika Hokusai Biography
