Dose of Art #65: Katsushika Hokusai – The Great Wave off Kanagawa (c. 1829-1833)

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The Great Wave is a woodblock print; the original drawing is carved in wood which in turn is used to print copies. As a result, multiple copies of the great wave exist and can be seen in various museums all over the world.

This print was the first of a series called Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji which Hokusai made and Mount Fuji can be seen in the background. It is perhaps the most famous work of art Japan has produced and references to it still show up not only in art but also in advertising, machine learning and even as an emoji.