#art, Hokusai and the Great Wave…

Perhaps Hokusai is the most famous Japanese painter you have ever heard of, and you would be right. Although there are many, many more that are incredibly famous and great, Hokusai gave us the iconic painting of the time and one of the most famous ones in Japanese art (in my opinion), the great wave. Actually the painting (engraving) is titled The Great Wave off Kanagawa (Japanese: 神奈川沖浪裏). It is a woodblock print created in 1831. This painting made his fame extend from Japan to Europe.

Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎) was born in Edo (former name of Tokyo) in 1760. He was a painter and a printmaker. Hokusai worked his art for over 70 years. He was instrumental in creating manga. He illustrated many books and manuscripts and his influence reached Europe where it greatly influenced the Impressionists. And many great European artists collected his art.

Claude Debussy, who among many compositions composed the tone poem La Mer in 1905, was believed to have been inspired by Hokusai’s Great Wave print. Debussy requested that a print of Hokusai’s great painting be used for the cover his published score, whose music incorporated Japanese-inflected harmonies.

CHEERS