Tuesday, August 30, 2011

"The Great Wave of Kanagawa" by Katsushika Hokusai 1831


The viewer seems to be under the wave, which rises upward in a sweeping, forceful curve, nearly reaching to the top of the picture.  Hokusai emphasizes the dynamic swell of the wave by its large size and the sharp contrasts between the dark blue and the patterns of white foam.  This print has a static quality, as if the artist captured the scene with the blink of a camera shutter.  The boats appear to be riding the waves and conform with forces of nature.  This close up viewpoint makes the viewer identify with the boatmen.

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