Artwork
七日夜|Wave
七日夜|Wave is an ink print by the Japonisme artist Katsushika Hokusai. It dates from 1804 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Katsushika Hokusai's '七日夜|Wave' (1804) is a monochrome woodblock print on ink on paper, housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Part of the 'Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji' series, this work prominently features a massive wave and three fishing boats, with Mount Fuji diminutive in the background.
Subject & Meaning
The print's central subject is the overwhelming power of a wave, dwarfing both the boats and the distant, miniaturized Mount Fuji. This composition emphasizes the awe-inspiring force of nature over the iconic mountain, typically the focal point of the series.
Technique & Style
Utilizing woodblock print techniques, Hokusai achieved deep, expressive lines that animate the water's movement. The monochrome ink enhances the dramatic contrast between the wave's fury and the serene, distant landscape.
History & Provenance
Created in 1804 as part of 'Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji', '七日夜|Wave' is now part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
名繪集珍 冊 宋李迪春潮帶雨
Untitled
六十余州名所図会 阿波 鳴門の風波|Naruto Whirlpool, Awa Province, from the series Views of Famous Places in the Sixty-Odd Provinces
Untitled
冨嶽三十六景 神奈川沖浪裏|Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
Forbidden to the Vulgar
歌川国芳画 「高祖御一代略図 佐州流刑角田波題目」|Concise Illustrated Biography of Monk Nichiren: Calming the Stormy Sea at Tsunoda in Exile to Sado Island
Poem-card from the Shinkokin wakashu (New Collection of Japanese Poems from Ancient and Modern Times) with Design of Pine on a Beach
「富嶽三十六景 神奈川沖浪裏」|Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), or The Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
本朝名所 相州江ノ嶋岩屋之図|Sōshū, Enoshima Iwaya no Zu