神奈川沖波裏 Kanagawa oki nami ura (The Great Wave off Kanagawa), Katsushika Hokusai

Exhibition Label:
"Nature/Natural," Feb-2011, Kris Ercums
One of the most emblematic images of Japanese art today, The Great Wave from Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji captures our mind by its stunning contrast between the ocean and land. Whereas the image depicts the present-day city of Yokohama, the image is seen from an unconventional viewpoint, namely from a fisherman’s boat. Behind the dynamic movement of waves, the stability of Mt. Fuji is particularly impressive. While the high-rising wave is about to swallow the tiny fishermen’s boats, instead of generating a sense of danger, the rhythmical movement of the wave harmoniously resonates with the fishermen. It imparts the image with a sophisticated musical quality. In The Great Wave, Hokusai used a blue pigment then called “Berlin Blue,” imported from Germany, which was preferred by ukiyoe artists and greatly impressed European viewers.

Archive Label date unknown:
Hokusai was one of the most prolific of Japanese artists, producing over 30,000 prints, sketches and paintings. The series Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji is considered the high point of his career. In this series Mt. Fuji appears in each print, sometimes as a looming presence but usually as a small peak in the background.

Archive Label 2003:
Under the Wave off Kanagawa, also known as “The Great Wave”, is one of the most beloved of Hokusai’s popular series. Three fishing boats are barely distinguishable in the trough of the soaring waves. The drama of the moment is offset by the serenity of Mt. Fuji, capped in snow and framed in the distance by the curve of the billowing waves.

Exhibition Label:
"Asian Gallery," Jul-2003, Youmi Efurd
These two prints by Hokusai (1928.7791) are from a series of 46 prints titled Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji, begun in 1823 and completed around 1831. Several of the illustrations are studies of the mountain under various atmospheric conditions, as seen in The South Wind Brings Fine Weather. While the majority depict Fuji as a background against which common people are shown engaged in everyday activities, The Great Wave shows three boats in turbulent, broken waves with Mt. Fuji in the distance.

Archive Label Sept-May 1993:
This piece has probably become the best known of any single Japanese woodblock print among contemporary Western viewers. Many nineteenth century French artists also appreciated it. "The Wave" and Beaugourdon's "Lampshade Design, Rolling Waves and Sunset" make visual reference to the Hokusai print.