Hokusai, The Great Wave in Leiden

The most iconic artwork from Japan is undoubtedly Hokusai's 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' from 1831. You encounter the gigantic wave with Mount Fuji in the distance everywhere: from T-shirts to coffee mugs. It is the most famous and most depicted Japanese print ever. In the pop-up exhibition 'Hokusai. The Great Wave', you can admire two examples of this woodcut from private collections in an intimate setting. On view until September 29, 2024, at the Sieboldhuis Leiden. Do you know the story of The Great Wave?

The Great Wave of Kanagawa

Under the Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa, usually simply called The Great Wave, is a woodcut (ukiyo-e) by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai from circa 1830-1831. It is the first piece of the Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji and the most famous work by Hokusai.

The artwork depicts several boats attempting to navigate a sea of ​​gigantic waves. The largest wave threatens to crush the oarsmen. Within this wave, a monster with claws can be seen, representing the power of nature as well as the strength of the oarsmen. This wave may possibly represent a tsunami, but given its shape, it is not. Although the region around Kanagawa (on Tokyo Bay) was devastated by a tsunami in the 15th century, Hokusai's form is more reminiscent of a rogue wave on the open sea, such as those created under laboratory conditions. In the background stands Mount Fuji, which reappears in all 36 artworks. The mountain may also be depicted in the wave in the foreground.

The artwork has been copied many times. Hokusai himself made multiple prints, and the copying continued after his death. As a result, copies can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, Claude Monet's house in Giverny, the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, and the Centre Céramique in Maastricht. The piece measures 25,7 cm by 37,8 cm and consists of 9 different layers. In September 2019, an original print was auctioned for 130.000 euros at auction house De Eland in Amsterdam.  

Siebold House Leiden

In the pop-up exhibition 'Hokusai. The Great Wave', you can admire two examples of this woodcut from private collections in an intimate setting. Experience the dynamics and contrast in Hokusai's work. Discover his influence on both his Japanese contemporaries and Western artists in the 19th and 20th centuries. The prints come from private and museum collections and are on display for only 5 weeks. 36 Faces of Fuji Around 1828, Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) and the publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi joined forces for an ambitious plan to publish a series of large landscape prints. Until then, these had always been in a small format. With the emerging travel culture and the accompanying production of souvenirs, the series 'Views of Mount Fuji' became a major commercial success. Several prints from this series are on display in the exhibition. Hokusai's influence Hokusai's success did not go unnoticed. Hokusai's large, clawed waves inspired his Japanese contemporaries such as Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) and Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861). They integrated the dynamics of the Gulf in their own way into a number of masterpieces. The image of the Gulf also found its way to Europe. How French and Dutch artists dealt with Hokusai's menacing composition is illustrated with a select number of prints.   Iconic Image Hokusai's The Great Wave stands today, as the only non-Western artwork, in the ranks of the most recognizable and iconic images in the history of art. It fits alongside Da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa', Edvard Munch's 'The Scream', and Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'. The image has been reproduced endlessly. To this day, the composition invites creativity and imagination. This is demonstrated in the exhibition using various contemporary objects.  

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Sieboldhuis Leiden, The Great Gulf on 29 September 2024: https://www.sieboldhuis.org/tentoonstellingen/hokusai-de-grote-golf/