Van Gogh, Cézanne, Degas, and Manet all praised Hokusai’s art. Japanese prints became a source of inspiration for artists in many genres. In fact, this term was introduced in 1872 by an art critic Philippe Burty (1830-1890). Its influence on Western culture became known as Japonisme. Consequently, Japanese art came to the West and quickly gained popularity. With the clear sky in the distance, his Great Wave offered the promise of a brighter future resulting from the interaction between the cultures.Īfter the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan ended a period of national isolation. By oversizing the wave, Hokusai showed the consequences of the flow of people and goods across the seas. Breaking down the barriers could imply a new interest in the world. Thus, the waves and sea could represent the possibility of bridging with the West and its dangers.Īt the same time, the waves could symbolize the potential to travel abroad, to find new things outside Japan. On the sky, paint the top part with a light blue to slowly blend with the turquoise. Add a dash of green and black on the right side of the wave. Let the colors blend, nothing needs to be exact at this stage. Hokusai seems to have mixed feelings about the sea over which the European technologies and ideas have traveled. Paint with water first to make the color flow easily. Instead, the image blends European materials, principles of perspective used in the West, and Japanese aesthetics. Therefore, the Great Wave is not the perfect example of a typical Japanese print. The public admired the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji partly because of this beautiful blue, prized due to its foreignness. The dye was then imported into Japan either by Dutch traders or via China, where it was manufactured from the 1820s.

This was probably first synthesized by Johann Jacob Diesbach in Berlin around 1706. However, this is not a Japanese blue but is Prussian or Berlin blue. Is Mount Fuji, which appears small in comparison, about to be consumed by the rogue wave or, metaphorically, foreign forces? It is as though the wave can reach out and seize it.īecause of the dominant waves and sea, the deep blue color permeates the print. We start to wonder about the fate of the boatmen and the subsequent course of events. Nevertheless, the great wave offsets it and creates suspense. Its symmetrical cone adds certain stability to the image. Here it fixes the big wave which becomes static rather than fluid and ephemeral. A stormy, windy day will emphasise those smaller waves, often to the point where the underlying swell is almost lost amongst the chaos of movement.Mount Fuji, an active stratovolcano, was deemed immortal. Close observation will show that those 'bumps' are in fact smaller waves and as such are subject to the rules 1 and 2. Some of you have noticed that a wave is rarely ever perfectly smooth.

The colours of a sunset or low clouds will show up there. The waves were steeped deep-blue save for a pattern of diamond-pointed light on their backs which rippled as. One after another they massed themselves and fell the spray tossed itself back with the energy of their fall. The waves broke and spread their waters swiftly over the shore. The back of the wave reflects whatever is roughly behind it. Paintings of the stormy sea from Baroque to Art Nouveau. The steeper the wave, the greater the view you have of what is beneath the surface. If the water is murky you will see the 'colour' of the water. On a clear day with clear water you will see the bottom (sand rocks etc). In most cases, the face of a wave is a window to what is under (or in) the water.

The point I'm trying to make (probably very clumsily) is that when painting waves, all the elements have an effect on one another. Change the light, or the wind for example, only a tiny amount, and it changes its personality completely. One of the most beautiful things about painting waves is also one of the most challenging. Your physical skills are your ability to manipulate your paintbrush and paint, to create the painting. On this page we are going to deal with your conceptual and perception skills. To my mind, creating a painting comes down to two skills: √ Your conceptual and perception skills and √ Your physical skills Your conceptual skills relate to your ability to find the information you need, and to interpret it in a way that makes your paintings powerful. Now that you have read or re-read the painting water page you will be prepared.It has to be said, 'lets dive in'. Understanding the elements that make up the appearance of water is the first (and most important) step. Once some fundamental principles are understood however, the process becomes much easier. Painting waves, and doing it well, can be incredibly difficult, particularly in the early stages of your painting journey.

Colorful wave painting