Hokusai’s The Great Wave | conversation with a kid

Join Eleana and Lauren as they explore the iconic "Great Wave off Kanagawa" (sometimes called The Great Wave or Under the Wave off Kanagawa) by Katsushika Hokusai in this fascinating video! It’s the first in a new series: conversations with kids, where an art historian partners with a kid to talk about a work of art. The idea is to empower kids to ask questions and talk openly about art, art history, and archaeology.
Hokusai’s print belonged to a larger series called Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. The Great Wave was printed many times, resulting in many different impressions of the same image. This version was printed around 1830-31, during the Edo period. It’s the most famous example of a ukiyo-e print. Discover why the people in the famous Japanese print look so worried as a massive wave approaches. Learn about the famous Mount Fuji in the background. Consider the frothy white ocean. Spend a moment learning about the process of Japanese woodblock printing. Hokusai’s print isn’t just famous in Japanese art, but it is one of the most recognizable images in the history of art worldwide!
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CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
0:13 Looking at one of the most famous images in the world: The Great Wave
0:34 A kid asks questions about Hokusai’s print
1:17 The frothy, bubbly white stuff in the ocean
1:45 Mount Fuji
2:02 How Hokusai made this print / printmaking techniques
3:15 The cost of Hokusai’s print
3:50 The series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji
4:12 Three Fun facts about The Great Wave off Kanagawa
#japan #printmaking #arthistory #historyofart #japaneseart #history #educational #art #ukiyoe #JapaneseWoodblockPrints #Japaneseprints #Hokusai #GreatWave #MountFuji #edoperiod
Main artwork discussed:
1. Katsushika Hokusai, 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 sanjûrokkei), c. 1830-31, woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper. Horizontal ôban; 25.2 x 37.7 cm (9 15/16 x 14 13/16 in.). Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
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