Overview
The print is a color woodblock design by Katsushika Hokusai, published around 1831 as the first plate of the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. A huge wave, its crest breaking into claw-like foam, is about to crash down on three cargo boats, while Mount Fuji sits small and calm in the distance.
Description
The deep blue that dominates the image relies on Prussian blue, a pigment newly imported to Japan at the time. Thousands of impressions were printed, and many of them survive in museums around the world. Another famous design from the same series is Red Fuji.
History and legacy
It is the most recognized work of Japanese art and strongly influenced Western painters and composers in the age of japonisme. Monet and van Gogh admired Japanese prints, and Debussy’s orchestral work La Mer carried a version of the wave on the cover of its first edition.