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Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji
Katsushika Hokusai, born 1760 - died 1849 - Enlarge image
Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji
- Object:
Woodblock print
- Artist/Maker:
Katsushika Hokusai, born 1760 - died 1849 (Artist)
- Museum number:
E.1311-1922
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, level F, case TOPIC, shelf JP, box 1
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is perhaps Japan's most famous artist. He is best known for his designs for prints and printed books, although later in life he focussed increasingly on paintings.
This print is from Hokusai's ground-breaking series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, the first to exist exclusively of large-format prints of landscapes. It also made plentiful use of Prussian blue, a pigment which had only recently been introduced to Japan and was both expensive and rare.
This print is the most celebrated of the series, and indeed of all Japanese prints. In it, Mount Fuji is pictured through the hollow of a giant wave which threatens to engulf the boats below. The chaos of the scene at sea contrasts with the stately serenity of Fuji in the background.