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

The Great Wave off Kanagawa Created in 1832, this iconic woodblock print exemplifies the ukiyo-e tradition of Japanese art, which captured fleeting moments of beauty in everyday life and nature. Hokusai's masterpiece became a defining image of the Edo period, showcasing the technical brilliance of woodblock printing through its bold composition and striking use of Prussian blue, a pigment newly available to Japanese artists at the time. The print's dynamic perspective—with Mount Fuji rendered impossibly small beneath towering waves—challenged Western artistic conventions and profoundly influenced European artists, from the Impressionists to Art Nouveau designers.