The Great Wave Hokusai

The texture of the canvas works very well with the subject matter portrayed in the painting. The strong ocean current and the cloudy mountain side are complimented by the canvas. It makes the waves seem like they’re moving against the ship. The ship is nicely detailed as well as the people in the painting. The brushstrokes are very clean and precise on the waves in the foreground. The brushstrokes do create a sense of movement in the painting. The surface of the artwork looks rough where the ocean is painted and where the clouds are painted it appears smooth and soft. This artwork is linear rather than painterly.

The artwork being analyzed is called Nameless and Friendless and it was completed in 1857 by Emily Mary Osborn. The artwork was most likely created in England, where she was from. The media is oil paints on canvas, rather than the wood that was usually used. It is currently on display in Tate, Britain.

Morisot uses a variety of techniques to illustrate a peaceful moment between a mother and daughter on the seaside. Throughout the piece, Morisot uses a series of short and spontaneous lines to create the figures and masses. The presence of these loose brush strokes throughout the piece create both rhythm and unity, making the piece simple and composed. However, variety is also created by the strong contrast between the foreground and background of this piece. The overlapping of the woman, child, and deck with the ocean and the disproportional shapes of the people and ships create an illusion of depth and space. This depth separates the masses present in the foreground from the background. The colors used in the foreground and background are also juxtaposed, with bolder and darker colors being used in the foreground and more bright and muddied colors being used in the background. This contrast establishes emphasis on the masses present in the foreground of the piece (the mother and child). The implied lines created by the gazes of the mother and child also contrast, with the mother’s view

Texture and pattern are very easy to identify in this painting. The street’s cobblestones show texture and pattern in the way that they are arranged. Texture is also demonstrated through the paint strokes on the buildings, the tree, and even the sky. These thick, uneven strokes add a layer of depth and texture to all elements of the painting.

Around the age of six years old, Hokusai began painting and even spent time as an apprentice wood-carver in his youth. He began the art of print making when he was eighteen. His most famous painting, The Great Wave, can be seen in museums all over the world even though Japan delayed it from catching on worldwide. Many believe that it was painted in the early 1800s, but Japan was not interacting culturally with other countries apart from trade with China and Korea. It wasn’t until 1859 when the Japanese were forced to open their ports that prints of The Wave spread across Europe. Originally, this piece wasn’t viewed as real art by Japanese politicians and art historians. Wood-block printing was used for commercial use and as a popular form of expression. The Japanese government wasn’t too thrilled “that such a seemingly lowbrow art form had come to define them” (15 Things). About five thousand to eight thousand prints were made but it is speculated that only a few hundreds of The Great Wave remain. The painting actually inspired music like Debussy’s La Mer.

I chose to study and analyze J.M.W. Turner’s Slave Ship for this project and found it to be very interesting. Immediately while looking at the piece you get a strong sense of emotion and drama that is being portrayed. There is a lot of depth and warmth in the colors that are used and wide swift brush strokes to create the images. The first image that caught my eye was of waves crashing on the left side of the painting. The white tips of the waves are very noticeable against the softer shades of the ocean. Behind the waves is a ship which is the next part of the painting that drew my attention. The ship seems to be caught in the rough waves of the sea and barely able to keep afloat. There is a glimmer of light from the sun peeking through

5. Time and Motion- The element of time is somewhat apparent in which the painting depicts events that happened during the daytime because of the lighting and brightness used in the painting. The red and black colors incorporated in the smoke and fire from the villages implement a sense of time, because although there is smoke and fire the buildings are still in solid form, not destroyed, symbolizing that the fire may not have been burning for very long. When dealing with the element of motion I automatically begin to think

There are many values within this print, but only constitute a handful of colors: Blue, brown, black, white, and gray. Blue is the main color within this print, there are many values of the color blue used. The deepest part of the waves are the darkest blue, while the parts of the waves closest to the surface are lightest blue or white. The sky has a gradient, which is going from the lightest color to the darkest color or vice versa; the sky is creating a gradient, from the bottom up, of black to a very light gray, then to a white-yellow. The colors chosen by Hokusai can also interpret feelings and emotions. The habitual feeling when seeing the color blue is sadness. Sadness and despair would be fitting emotions for this work, due to the giant wave about to crash upon the men in their boats. Blue can also emit a feeling of elegance. The composition of the print and how the lines of the wave flow can be considered a form of elegance.

We can also see the use of black shades to create a hole at the bottom part of the rock. With his excellent use of colors, we can identify the good, healthy and green grass from the bad, unhealthy, brown grasses. Looking beyond the main focus of the painting, he uses colors to separate the sky from the land in the background creating a solid form of perspective on the painting. He also uses colors to create water forms as seen behind the young character. Now, for the sky, he uses shades of white to magnificently differentiate the thick clouds from the light ones. He also uses this to create a source to light to the whole area. All these put together creates a splendid, realistic and familiar atmosphere for the viewers to relate with.

As indicated by the shape in the foreground, the lines that signify the contour of the rocks and freestanding structure merge. The lines lead the eye vertically as it meets the center. When looking at the painting as a whole, the viewer can see how the artist uses straight

Hokusai shows a threatening wave shadowing over vulnerable fishermen in his artwork Under the Wave off Kanagawa. By using shapes that correspond to those of fingers, the wave gives off shivers of fear, as if it is devouring the men in the boat. The desperate men, backs leaning all the way forward, use all their power to escape the mouth of the wave. Hokusai uses tiny white circles that look like snow. The circles show a resemblance of snow falling onto a mountain to the wave slamming into the boat. These shapes contribute to the overall message of the artwork to symbolize the power of the sea. The size ratio of the wave to the humans depicted in the picture represent the power of the sea compared to the power of a human. In conclusion, the

Almost instantaneously recognizable, The Great Wave off Kanagawa (woodblock, 10 1/8 x 14 15/16 in, c. 1830-32), created by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai in 1830, beautifully captures the graceful, swelling movement of a crashing tsunami. Because of the way in which line and proportion are utilized, this woodblock print gracefully portrays the sheer power of the ocean. Derived from the Edo period in nineteenth century Japan, this classic was the first of a series of works from Hokusai titled Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, all of which effortlessly depict the mountain in a wide array of angles and scenery. Arguably, The Great Wave off Kanagawa is the most iconic and cherished piece of Japanese artwork in the world. Even more importantly, Hokusai is considered prominent father figure for both Japanese art, as well as Western modernization as a whole. The Great Wave truly displays how tiny and weak man is compared to the force of nature. Not only is The Great Wave a quintessential piece of art, but it established a piece in the comprehensive networks of art, trade, and politics, that has instilled a tremendous positive impact on the twenty first century.

The shapes of the figures are sharply defined and the objects such as the table, book, and string instruments. There are diagonal rhythms throughout the painting in which it creates movement. The light source in the upper left allows the source light to have a more natural appearance throughout the painting. The shadows at the right-hand corner and the men wearing green in the middle contrast the main object with the most sources of lighting. The objects shadows and lighting create dimension and a vivid sense of more contrast. There are areas in the making with more contrast and the sharp contrast that creates movement in the painting. The shadows and the lighting throughout the painting show gradations and the highlights create more depth. Staring from the upper-left hand corner with the first figure of a gentleman wearing a hue of blue and yellow, the left side of his face and garment shows the source light in right above him. The source light above the

The beautiful painting is a visual treat to anyone laying eyes on it. The blue sky the wavy water the sailboats all are ironic to any coastal shore. The moon on the distance is an indication that it’s early dusk or dawn. The sea looks windswept but calm and clear rather than stormy and angry. The ship is setting out on a long journey but the butterflies are an indication to a positive spin on departure so it’s probably intended for people who have had or will have firsthand experience with departure and those emotions.

Many elements and principles are portrayed in this art piece. To begin with, the first thing I see and grabs my attention is the swirling wind. Rhythm and Movement can be seen and it creates a flow to the rest of the painting in which leads your eyes to follow along the path of the swirl and brings you to the next subject. It allowed me to view the art piece up to down and left to right, as I started from the swirl to the stars