Better Know the Great Wave | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 พ.ค. 2017
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It's an omnipresent image that has inspired music, tattoos, and even an emoji on your phone. But Hokusai's Great Wave is a woodblock print that was made to be reproduced. What's its story? Let's better know the Great Wave.
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At my local gallery, the guide said eastern art is typically "read" from right to left, as opposed to the western style of reading left to right. The fishermen are rowing into the waves, not escaping it. They are doing what they do everyday, and this wave comes along, not something they encounter everyday but certainly not disastrous. If you read it from left to right, however, you might be inclined to think this great wave sprung up to engulf unsuspecting fishermen, who are now trying to escape it. (but you can tell that their boats are pointed towards the wave, they are rowing into it, not trying to escape it.)
NeverLooksAtComments wow, that’s awesome
Such a great way to look at it.
That is really interesting. In that case, one might also be tempted to add that the size of the wave is possibly exaggerated to be more expressive of what the artist felt. After all, there is no reason to assume that the artist wanted to be entirely realistic here.
Exactly. And the easiest way to check it out is to flip the image using a simple image editor. I can't believe this detail isn't in the video. Shame(tm)
true that they are rowing into the wave, but if you are familiar with boats and waves, this is the way to escape it. On another note, the crest of the wave is made up of little waves, giving the painting a fractal like composition.
There's a detail that I really like in this painting: The foam from the waves almost look the snowflakes falling around Mt. Fuji !
Thanks for pointing that out! I love that!
oh hello internet stranger I knew before :)
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They look like hands to be honest
Thats the whole point of the painting for me so thank you next
Makes me think about what land even is, you know? It's really just what the sea is breaking against. I read about that in a novel once. -John
Yes, I knew I could find you here!
we need to talk more about Japanese art
Hey it's me
Your name is so friendly 👋
You just made my day
Wave check
@@ricejuice8982 your comment is so friendly :)
Hello!
I have this on my wall in my living room. Gorgeous work. It was described as meaning when you are prepared to overcome obstacles, even ones which you do not control, they are no obstacle for you by an art teacher in high school. I will love it forever due to his interpretation of resilience.
i love that
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This was a phenomenal overview of "The Great Wave!" I really enjoyed it and this whole style of Art Assignment videos! Keep up the good work!
I love the painting, but I always actually liked the other paintings in the Mt.Fuji series that play with the colors of the sky ranging from plain canvas white to crepuscular greenish yellow, extremely Romantic stuff haha
I love this type of art. I've been studying the artwork of a friend of Hokusai's, Utagawa (actual name Ando) Hiroshige. He made some incredible Landscape artistry. But I plan to start studying Hokusai as well. I know that Wave well.
Loved the art/climate change parallel. What strikes me about this work is its porousness (mind the pun). The use of the same blues, yellows and white in the painting's three subjects (the wave, Fuji, and boats/men) and the perspective of Fuji as a possible wave itself betray deeper meaning than the vast and terrifying nature of the sea. The encroaching ocean may engulf mountains and the mountains we humans often believe ourselves to be, but we are inevitably and unavoidably part of the same world. Land, oceans, and organic matter all have a stake in our planet's future. Hokusai's painting, ahead of its time, seems to speak to our contemporary ecological predicament beautifully. Once again, great video.
These videos are so amazing. How have I missed this channel for so long? I especially like how you guys manage to share such a vast amount of different art and give a concise and easy to follow contextualisation. It's like you show us the tree and the viewer can then choose which branches to follow. Great, great stuff. :)
My personal interpretation of the painting is life can be unpredictable sometimes
This is one of the best vids I have come across as an Art educator about an artist and a specific work. I love how this covers so many important aspects of this piece. Probably the most informational AND relatable art history videos I have seen without it being made into a cartoon or over simplifying things. LOVE this.
Surfing isn't a demonstration of mastery over nature, but harmony with it. Other than that, cool video.
My absolute favorite japanese artwork, as I'm sure it is for many :) so dynamic, so iconic
I love how you discuss and share concepts, your voice just excites me in a special way. I'm glad to have come across your channel and I hope you continue making these valuable videos.
"The ultimate, most wavelike of all waves" :D I love these videos
I love the voice-over. You always have the perfect words to exactly describe things about the art and the emotions it evokes. And the way you end these videos reminds me of some of john's thoughts from places vids :)
Today is Hokusai's birthday and it made me come back to this video!
I'm one of those people with a Great Wave tattoo. I got it as a symbol of rolling with and rising above challenges. So I guess I kinda got it for the right reason.
You did a fantastic job and the video turned out beautifully comprehensive and catching.
But may I add, that Ukiyo-e means pictures of the floating world and that it does include paintings as well as woodblock prints? Woodblock prints were just more accessible and were abundant and therefore better preserved. But a lot of Bijinga- or pictures of beautiful women- were also painted on wood or silk screens.
Thanks for the clarification!
Let's not forget it's uses of the golden mean. This makes it pleasing to the eye.
Art History prof here. I love to have my students pick apart this image as an example of "visual poetry," literally an image in which visual elements "rhyme" all throughout, from side to side, top to bottom, and front to back. Look closely and you will notice uncanny shape and pattern repetitions all throughout the piece that lead your eye around. My favorite is to rotate the image until it is upside-down. Do this, and you'll notice that the negative space of the sky is also wave shaped, creating a perfect yin-yang mirroring of positive and negative space in the composition. It is truly a masterwork of an image.
thank you for sharing this!
Another excellent and extremely informative video from The Art Assignment. I am new to this channel and I'm loving all of the superb high quality work! Thank you!
One of my favorite iconic paintings.
Yay! Glad to hear it. It actually wasn't a favorite of mine to start, but I am now very much smitten. By this and the whole series.
I read once that the waves in the Studio Ghibli film Ponyo were based on this painting. The force of nature is awe inspiring. Ponyo is a fish on land who brings about a tsunami. Of course, now I know the wave is not tsunami size. Still amazing though.
Yes!!!!!! lol Ponyo really loves ham.
Me too. :)
this art piece is my favorite and i watched many videos to learn more about it, this video has helped me to know the secret behind every part of it thank you its very helpful!
Wow, great video! I'd just like to make a recommendation, the animation movie "Miss Hokusai", it's about the life of Katsuhika Oi, the daughter of Katsuhika Hokusai, a lot of their paintings come alive in the movie! It's very beautiful and poetic.
Last year in my Intro To Sculpture class in University, we had an assignment that we had to choose a famous 2D work of art to turn into a sculpture made mainly of recycled cardboard (but like, glue/tape/paper and paint were needed) My prof. encouraged reused materials whenever possible, especially with first year works. I chose the Great Wave print, and I think the only thing I actually purchased for the project was $5 of craft paper and maybe $5 of dollar store acrylic paint, and the sculpture was about 3 feet by 2 feet by about 18-24 inches tall, took about 30 hours to complete and wound up showing in a small show in the University's gallery displaying 1st year works and I'm so proud of it, I wish I could show you.
im so happy about this video I LOVEEE this painting more then any other art piece
The fractal nature wave/splashes and also the fractal detail in the clouds is just insane.
You can tell this man really fucking studied his shit bc u see this compared to his first drawings and it's a behemoth. Even the drops of water... it just comes to life better than most hiperrealist works of art.
Totally loving these "Better Know" episodes. I've seen the big wave all over (including some of those crimes, I'm sure ;) and getting to know more about the original is great. But it's been turned into an emoji? Yikes! (and if ya can't beat 'em... 🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊 :P)
Can't wait to see this painting for real at the British Museum next week!
Sweet. Let us know how the in person experience compares!
So!? How was it!?
I thought it's in the Met. Or is it temporary?
It's at the British Museum for a few more weeks, it's really well curated. Finally got to see it today (:
It was awesome. I love seeing things that I only saw in books as a child. Only got around to seeing it today as I had to book it in advance. Didn't realise how popular it would be.
Yes. YES. YEAAAAAAASSSSSSS I love this art. Even before I hadn't known who made it.
I'm loving this series! Keep up!
wow end of that video gave me chills tbh
Thank you Sarah & your team for the amazing videos! 🙂🙃
Love this! More in this series please!
Genuinely my favorite art piece of all time.
I feel as if the art all comes down to how you see it. You give it the meaning that it deserves. We all perceive differently.
I didn't know that The Great Wave was "just another print" in a series featuring Mt. Fuji. I also didn't know that it was originally made for everyday people. I like it even more now. Thanks for the great video!
Wonderful series, thank you!
So apparantly the Art Assignment shares a special someone's obsession with pictures of waves... I wonder if the whole Green family has been infected with the love for wave metaphor and where it's going
Great video, but one can't possibly see "Under the great cookie monster of Kanagawa" as a crime to the original; imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and although it looks... weird, I'd wager the cookie monster was done with heart or humour. Maybe
I know right?! How dare they disgrace that masterpiece
I really need to watch more Art Assignment
Loved it !
Thank you to this channel for making art so accessible to noobs like me
this video gave me chills
I love hearing you talk about things. I'm so excited to hear you talk about more things. And it feels nice to know that I can buy a 'great wave' graphic tee and not feel guilty about the art's representation vs intent! (Yes, this is my immediate takeaway.)
This is amazing content, thank you!
This was amazing!!! I've been seeing this picture in a slide show of old paintings that runs in the background at work and I have always wanted to know more about it. And wow I now feel empowered! (Unlike the fisherment beneath the wave!) Also, I never saw Mt. Fuji before. Cool!
These videos are AMAZING.
very here for the art + climate change parallels. 🌊🌎🔥
yes, here's hoping fewer of us better know great waves than is absolutely necessary.
that's what I was afraid of.
A stunning film--THANK YOU!
Great history lesson on the wave painters. I enjoy painting waves and surf real thanks for sharing the amazing time capsule 👍🏼🗝🔓🎨
Any chance the fact that this painting is now public domain has played a role in how iconic it's become?
If you are going to VidCon USA, we are doing a community Art Assignment. We are doing the Make it/Break It Assignment. We will probably meet outside the main stage at 8am Friday. Just bring something for another community member to break.
This will be so fun! What to make? Will start musing on materials that would be fun (and, secondarily, interesting) to break.
This channel saved my AP Art History grade
This channel is f***ing awesome!!!!
Insightful and enlightening presentation. Thank you!
I LOVE PRINTMAKING AND I LOVE THIS
amazing content ~
thank you
This video and it’s editing is very very good 👍🏼👍🏼 I love re watching it
it has caused fractal enthusiasts to call Hokusai ahead of his time
TH-cam is the best argument for why education of all kinds and especially art education should be free to all people of the world. The learning curve is made almost flat . Remember when if u wanted to learn about something, u had to go find a library or encyclopedia Britannica. Most the time you didbt even know what u wanted to know. Learn people of the world!! Open your minds and set free your thirst for knowledge. Be whatever your little heart desires...then give it back. Imagine the beauty that would follow....
🌊Having an emoji made out of your art work is goals.
I was going to buy the Great Wave Concert Ukulele by Luna Guitars.
and so, of course I had to seek for information about this stunning piece of art.
That's why I clicked the video, and now I want this uke even more!❤🌊
More "Better Knows" please! Super ace!
I saw it in person and it’s amazing
This woodblock print is considered the most famous work of Katsushika Hokusai and one of the most famous masterpieces of Japanese art in the world. The subject of the painting is astonishing. We see how the passengers of the three boats are powerless against the fury of nature.
Great video! One thing I also notice is that the waves are given animal like characteristics, for example the top of the waves are very claw like and extended out like limbs. If you look at the the other wave illustrations, they fail to to convey the power of what is a natural monster, a rouge wave like that has the power to bend steel. It is the most prominent figure in the composition and it dwarfs the humans on the boats. We immediately identify with the fisherman, who seem to appear as if they are about to be swallowed by this “beast.’’ This image is so powerful because it taps intro our sub consciousness, don’t know it it was intentional by the artist! But great nonetheless!
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Still one of my favorite images.
This is awesome!
For me in represents how us humans categorise things - Mt Fuji is painted as to be disguised into the wave which is to say that nature is a whole yet humans draw lines between 'mountains' and 'oceans'
The guys in the boat take a deep breath and hold on expecting to be pushed under but their lungs will act to raise them back up. It shows that cooperation will help you survive.
The Japanese has really heavenly inspired Pop Culture.
No ,they didn't stupid .
Where you got that garbage from ?
I love love love your videos.
Beautifully explained
such an good video and detailed
love it
I've always been afraid of that painting, but I've recently become more curious about it, I still have a lingering fear over it but to me that's what makes it beautiful, how it makes you feel.
The painting is also an important mathematical study. Hokusai was drawing fractal forms long before Mandlebrodt.
Great video!!
I don’t know why this image is so inspiring.
fantastic✨
the cookie monster one was the best!
One most know that Hokusai painted it when he was old and poor (who was very popular once but got broke) and those cycle-like things at the edge of the wave might represent the on-goingness of life.
those jokes are hilarious. brilliant video
Wow.
Excellent.
chaos around the epitome of peace
I had a guilty giggle at the cookie monster wave
Oh hey it’s the woosh water by Hokusai
The drawing at 6:01 => WoW !!
I saw this image used in many places but i never knew the name until now
“trade began to open up” haha matthew c perry
BRILLIANT LAST SENTENCE GIRL, i mean it was liquid...
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Speaker: “this is not actually called the great wave”
...then continues to call it the great wave lol
omg they used the same background music as Vox did lol im like HEY look it's Indietronika .. i got excited, love that album
Takes me back to studying this at University