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Jan 18, 2021 · Hokusai’s “Great Wave off Kanagawa” Masterpiece at The Honolulu Museum of Art Posted: Nov 23, 2020 / 05:11 PM HST. ... There are three new exhibitions at our Downtown location, HoMA First ...
- Overview
- The portrayal of the mountain changes in every print. Sometimes it’s shown as a mere silhouette, in other prints it’s the focal point. What’s the symbolism?
“The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” from the series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” Japan, Edo period, c. 1830-1834, color woodblock print. Honolulu Academy of Arts: Gift of James A. Michener, 1955
His name may not be as familiar as Monet or Picasso, but Katsushika Hokusai created one of the most recognizable–and most reproduced–pieces of art in history, the Japanese woodblock print “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” From now until January 3, 2010, and for the first time in ten years, the Honolulu Academy of Arts is displaying the print alongside Hokusai’s entire “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” series. The late novelist James Michener gave the series to the Academy, which is one of only a few other museums in the world own an entire set. (If you can’t make it to Oahu, you can see the entire series online at www.art.honoluluacademy.org.) Sheila Sarhangi spoke with Shawn Eichman, Curator of Asian Arts for the Academy, who co-curated the exhibit with Sawako Chang, to find out more about the prints, and Hokusai himself.
Hokusai’s “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” series is an example of ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints. What is ukiyo-e?
The term ukiyo literally means “floating world” in Japanese and was originally developed as a Buddhist term. It was used to refer to the impermanence of the world, and the suffering that results from this impermanence. In the Edo period, which occurred from 1615 to 1868, this concept of impermanence was celebrated. The basic idea behind ukiyo-e woodblock prints is that they are images that show the impermanent and ever-changing world, and the beauty that comes from that impermanence.
How were ukiyo-e woodblock prints made?
It was a multi-staged process that involved a lot of different people. The artist would prepare the designs, which would then be given to a block carver. The block carver would paste the design onto the woodblock and carve it into the wood. When he did that, the original design would actually be destroyed. After the main block had been carved, one block would be carved for each color that was used in the prints. In some cases, depending on the number of colors used, as many as 20 or 30 blocks would be carved for a given print. At that point, the blocks would be turned over to another group of people who specialized in printing. They would be responsible for applying the colors onto the wood and putting the paper down on the blocks to make the print. The final step was that the person who paid for all of this (who typically was not the artist, but was rather a publisher) would distribute them for sale to the public.
The series definitely has different sub-themes, and the prints that have received the most attention show Mount Fuji as a symbol of the overwhelming power of natural forces. A classic example of this is the most famous print from the series, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”.
In this print, you can see a number of boats struggling to stay afloat and not capsize as they are being tossed and turned by the wave. All the while Mount Fuji stands by, serenely in the distance, as if it were indifferent to their survival.
What’s interesting is that the other major sub-theme shows Mount Fuji as a protective symbol of the people of Edo and Japan. The mountain is displayed almost as if were a patron deity of the people, who are seen going about their day-to-day activities in the foreground and not paying any attention to the mountain at all.
A good example of this is “Fujimigahara in Owari Province”.
The print shows a barrel maker working inside a very large barrel, which forms a circle and occupies the whole middle of the print. The barrel also frames a very tiny Mount Fuji in the background and the barrel maker actually has his back turned away from the mountain. It’s showing someone in really the humblest of activities.
Why did Hokusai create so many scenes showing people? What’s the symbolism there?
Nov 23, 2020 · Honolulu Museum of Art. Nothing heightens one’s respect for the Great Wave off Kanagawa (c. 1830–1832), the most famous image in the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), more than awareness of how strongly it influenced other celebrated artists.
Kanagawa, ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, located south of Tokyo and bordered by Tokyo Bay to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Yokohama, on the bay, is the prefectural capital. The eastern half of the prefecture constitutes the southwestern portion of the Tokyo-Yokohama Metropolitan.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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Apr 13, 2023 · Kanagawa Prefecture is located south of Tokyo in the southern part of the Kantō Region. It has an extensive coastline, stretching 435 kilometers along Tokyo Bay to the east and the Pacific...
