Under The Wave off Kanagawa- Hokusai
Many of you are familiar with this very famous (ukiyo-e) Japanese wood cut print, but have never known the artist . Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese artist who lived from 1760 until 1849. The famous wave has been used on everything from silk ties to kindergarden coloring books. The painting itself is one of "36 Views of Mount Fuji" which he made from 1823-1829. While he is most famous for the Wave , he also produced prints of birtds, flowers, courtesans,and folklore, and daily life.
He was born in Edo(Tokyo), and studied wood engraving, painting, and block printing. He was incredibly productive. His "Ten Thousand Sketches" produced in 1814 is a 15 volume collection of every aspect of Japanese life. In 1835 he produced "100 Sketches of Mount Fuji" in monochrome. However, his "36 Views of Mount Fuji" with his extraordinary use of blues, greens, and yellows established him as a true master. His use of perspective shows the effect of Western art on his work.
His work was not unnoticed by many famous artist who were influenced by his works. Among these are Van Gogh, and James Whistler.
We have used his famous wave design in a number of etched glass design for windows, and more recently glass railings. Etched Glass
