The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Katsushika Hokusai

Woodblock print, ink and color on paper

Metropolitan Museum of Art

This breathtaking woodblock print depicts three fishing boats caught beneath a towering, claw-like wave with Mount Fuji serenely visible in the distance—a masterful contrast between nature's raw power and quiet permanence. Created by Katsushika Hokusai when he was around 70 years old, this ukiyo-e masterpiece revolutionized Japanese printmaking through its innovative use of imported Prussian blue pigment and Western-influenced perspective techniques. Hokusai, who called himself 'the old man mad about art,' was a prolific artist who produced over 30,000 works during his seven-decade career and is credited with transforming ukiyo-e from portraits of courtesans and actors into stunning landscapes. Often described as 'possibly the most reproduced image in the history of all art,' this print has inspired Western masters from Van Gogh to Monet and remains an enduring symbol of Japanese artistic achievement.