Under the Wave off Kanagawa

Art by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)

In 1830, Katsushika Hokusai, then 70 years old, began a series of prints called Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. You know the first in this series by its common name, The Great Wave. Its actual title is Under the Wave off Kanagawa.

Under the Wave off Kanagawa" by Katsushika Hokusai, image from Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

It’s a gripping image of an ocean wave vaulting out of the sea, towering above three fishing boats, and roaring overhead while the protagonist, Mt. Fuji, sits elegantly in the center of the frame. This work is a powerful action scene. It’s deceivingly simple, yet it’s a revolutionary masterpiece. This blue, yellow, and white landscape that fundamentally changed the art world. 

Here’s why.