Surely many of you will know the engraving by a Japanese author in which you can see a huge wave sweeping away a couple of boats. This is an engraving made on wood by Katsushika Hokusai, a painter and engraver from the 18th century, who, among other things, was the precursor of the word manga, which comes from combining the kanji corresponding to informal and drawing and, therefore, the first person to draw this type of drawing.
This painting was published in 1832 within the series āThirty-six views of Mount Fujiā, which contained, including supplements, 46 color prints of Japanese landscapes under āstrange situationsā, focusing mainly on Mount Fuji and being possibly the most notable of his works, as well as one of the best known
The painting is often called āTsunamiā, but possibly it was not intended to be more than a wave created by the tides, although it is a clear example of the āstrange situationsā of the series to which it belonged.
After the authorās death in the mid-19th century, his works acquired great prestige, especially from Western painters such as Monet or Degas.
Currently, a copy of āThe Great Waveā is kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and another in Claude Monetās house in Giverny, France. An example of the significance of this engraving is that the QuickSilver clothing brand uses it as a logo.
| Wikipedia | The great wave off Kanagawa |
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| Wikipedia | Katsushika Hukusai |
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| Wikipedia | Manga |
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| Jim Breens Ukiyo e-gallery | Hukusai |
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