Katsushika Hokusai: The Great Wave off Kanagawa (Under the Wave off Kanagawa)

The Great Wave off Kanagawa Created in 1832, Hokusai's iconic woodblock print stands as one of the most recognizable images in art history, capturing the drama of a towering wave threatening boats off the Kanagawa coast. The composition revolutionized landscape art by elevating nature's raw power to dramatic new heights, with the infamous wave paradoxically framing Mount Fuji—Japan's sacred symbol—as a tiny, vulnerable peak in the distant background. This masterpiece from his series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" exemplifies the ukiyo-e tradition's technical brilliance and helped introduce Japanese aesthetics to the Western world, profoundly influencing Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists.