Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)

Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760-1849)

Date

1830/33

Medium

Color woodblock print; oban

A cresting wave curls into a claw over two fishing boats while Mount Fuji sits small and calm in the distance. The graphic blue and white shapes read clearly from across a room, which is why this print has become the most recognized image in Japanese art.

• Museum-sourced, public domain (CC0)
• Printed and shipped in the US
• Museum record at Art Institute of Chicago

Furnishing a whole wall? Let the curator hang a set in this style