(SOLD) The great wave of Kanagawa - Hokusai

Hokusai and the Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji - In Japan, Mt. Fuji is a sacred place and a symbol of the country itself. Rising majestically near the center of Japan, Fuji dominates the landscape and the Japanese national identity. At the age of sixty-nine, the great Hokusai began what would become the most famous landscape print series of ukiyo-e, his incredible Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.

Originally intended to comprise thirty-six prints, the publisher added an additional ten images, bringing the series total to forty-six woodblocks. Originally published around 1830, Hokusai's bold compositions capture the strength, beauty, and symbolism of Mt. Fuji in rain and snow, at sunrise and dusk, and from a variety of vantage points. The series includes some of Hokusai's greatest masterpieces. These fantastic images portray the strength and majesty of nature, leading the viewer to contemplate man's place in relation to the natural world. A truly magnificent series, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji justly remains Hokusai's most famous and highly regarded work.

The Great Wave - Perhaps the most famous woodblock print of all time, Hokusai's "Great Wave" is a masterpiece of Japanese art. The enormous wave crests in a burst of foam and spray, curling tendrils of water reaching out like fingers, the foam raining down like snow. The powerful sea tosses three small fishing boats on the rolling swells, the wave about to crash over them. The snow-covered peak of Mt. Fuji appears in the distance against a gray sky, dwarfed by the immensity of the wave. The white clouds in the sky echo the form of the wave, while the smaller wave at lower left repeats the shape of the mountain. This timeless design shows the magnificent power of nature over man. An incredibly powerful image, masterfully composed and detailed.

Artist -Hokusai (1760-1849) 

Image Size - 9 3/4" x 14 7/8" + margins as shown