What does the great wave off Kanagawa represent?
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What does the great wave off Kanagawa represent?
The Great Wave can be taken as a symbolic image of an important change happening to the Japanese society, a change which brings the presence of the foreign influences coming from the uncertainty of the sea and opposed to the firmness and stillness of Mount Fuji, the established symbol for the soul of Japan.
What does the wave poster mean?
The wave is about to strike the boats as if it were an enormous monster, one which seems to symbolise the irresistible force of nature and the weakness of human beings. In the print, Hokusai conceived the wave and the distant Mount Fuji in terms of geometric language.
How many prints of the great wave are there?
Experts have estimated that this might represent around 8,000 prints.
How much is the wave painting worth?
The sale realized an 85 percent sell-through rate and set two world records for Japanese masters. Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock print Under the Well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa, made sometime around 1831, sold for the $1.6 million with buyer’s premium, 10 times its low estimate of $150,000.
Why did Hokusai create The Great Wave?
Hokusai is often described as having a personal fascination with the mountain, which sparked his interest in making this series. However, he was also responding to a boom in domestic travel and the corresponding market for images of Mount Fuji. Japanese woodblock prints were often purchased as souvenirs.
What does the wave symbolize in Japan?
The seigaiha or wave is a pattern of layered concentric circles creating arches, symbolic of waves or water and representing surges of good luck. It can also signify power and resilience.
How much does a Hokusai print cost?
Katsushika Hokusai’s work has been offered at auction multiple times, with realized prices ranging from 22 USD to 1,590,000 USD, depending on the size and medium of the artwork.
Where is the original Great Wave print?
Sumida Hokusai Museum, Tokyo, Japan: Where to see Japan’s most famous artwork, The Great Wave.
What was Hokusai inspired by?
HiroshigeUtagawa KuniyoshiKatsukawa ShunshōKitao Masayoshi
Hokusai/Influenced by
What inspired Hokusai to paint The Great Wave?
How many prints did Hokusai make?
30,000 works
Although his studio and much of his work was destroyed in a fire in 1839, the artist is thought to have produced 30,000 works over the course of his lifetime, his prolific output including paintings, sketches, woodblock prints, erotic illustrations and picture books. Hokusai spent his life anticipating old age.