Busacca Gallery

This is a very rare original edition print of the Japanese woodblock print in brown and steel blue colors, depicting the Tsunami. It is part of the renowned series '36 Views of Mt. Fuji' ('Fugaku sanjurokkei') by the great artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). The print is titled "The Great Wave of Kanagawa" and was published by Nishimura Eijudo and reproduced by Kobayashi Bunshichi as seen by the idenitfying markings on the lower right corner. Executed as a woodblock print, it showcases Hokusai's exceptional talent in this medium. The artist, Japanese by origin, leaves a testament to his artistic legacy through this striking print. The print, now over 100 years old, remains relevant for our century—a time of global losses and wins, of waves and loss amidst landslides and tsunamis. Interestingly, the original no longer exists; only the print endures. This artwork, though lampooned in its time, stands as a representation of Japanese art, even though some who live in Japan do not perceive it as such. In the early nineteenth century, Hokusai, the artist, was apprenticed to a well-known artist at an early age. He became adept at various forms of art, including flower paintings and erotica like Pillow Books. At a point in his life when he believed his best work was behind him, a series of events—his wife's death, his grandson gambling away his savings—left him penniless. He, along with his daughter, sought refuge in a temple, where he rediscovered his artistic passion. The Great Wave became his sun, moon, and stars, showcasing the devastating powers of nature and the insignificance of man in its face. Interestingly, in modern science, waves like the Great Wave do exist—though not tsunamis, but rather large okinamis, ocean waves. This knowledge, found in sources like the New Scientist, lends a contemporary perspective to Hokusai's creation. The Floating World tradition, prevalent from 1600 to 1867, was a distinct period in Japanese art. It involved sensual indulgence, pleasure-seeking, and hedonism, featuring symbols like the moon, cherry blossoms, sumo wrestlers, samurai, and more. It reflected a motiveless, rudderless way of life, a closed society with distinctions between the haves and have-nots during the economic boom of the Edo period. Katsushika Hokusai, a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter, and printmaker of the Edo period, was Japan's leading expert on Chinese painting in his time. Born in Edo, he is best known for the woodblock print series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, which includes the internationally recognized print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created during the 1820s. This series, a response to a domestic travel boom and Hokusai's personal obsession with Mount Fuji, earned him fame within Japan and overseas. The Great Wave print and Fuji in Clear Weather, in particular, secured Hokusai’s lasting impact on the art world, making him a recognized name both in Japan and abroad.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa" is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. It is one of the most famous works of Japanese art and a masterpiece of the ukiyo-e genre, which flourished in Japan from the 17th to the 19th century. Hokusai created "The Great Wave" as part of a series called "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji," which he began in the 1820s when he was in his 70s. The series depicted different views of Mount Fuji from various locations and in different seasons and weather conditions. The Great Wave was one of the most popular prints in the series and became an instant sensation in Japan and later in Europe. The print depicts a large wave with a boat and three fishermen in the foreground, and Mount Fuji in the background. The wave is shown as a towering mass of water, with whitecaps and foam, and is rendered in a striking blue color that contrasts with the white of the wave's crests. The fishermen appear small and vulnerable, dwarfed by the power of the wave. The print's composition and style were influenced by Western art, which was becoming more accessible to Japanese artists at the time. Hokusai was also known for his experimentation with perspective and for his use of bold lines and colors. "The Great Wave" has since become a symbol of Japanese art and culture and has inspired countless artists and designers around the world. It has been reproduced on everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs, and its image is instantly recognizable to people all over the globe.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa

The Great Wave off Kanagawa (神奈川沖浪裏 Kanagawa Oki Nami Ura?, lit. "Under a Wave off Kanagawa"), also known as The Great Wave or simply The Wave, is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Hokusai. An example of ukiyo-e art, it was published sometime between 1830 and 1833 (during the Edo Period) as the first in Hokusai's series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei (富嶽三十六景?)), and is his most famous work. This particular woodblock is one of the most recognized works of Japanese art in the world. It depicts an enormous wave threatening boats near the Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa. While sometimes assumed to be a tsunami, the wave is, as the picture's title notes, more likely to be a large okinami lit. "wave of the open sea." As in all the prints in the series, it depicts the area around Mount Fuji under particular conditions, and the mountain itself appears in the background.

Copies of the print are in many Western collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the British Museum in London, and in Claude Monet's house in Giverny, France.