The Great Wave by Hokusai: Great Art Explained

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Great art explained. James Payne discusses the Great Wave.

I started "Great Art Explained" during lockdown. My aim is to make videos which focus on one great artwork. I want to present art in a jargon free, entertaining, clear and concise way with no gimmicks.

Subscribe and click the bell icon to get more arts content. Each video takes me about three weeks to a month, so I download at least once a month:

In 1639 Japan closed its borders and cut itself off from the outside world. Foreigners were expelled, Western culture was forbidden, and Entering or leaving Japan was punishable by Death. It would remain that way for over 200 years.


It was under these circumstances that a quintessentially Japanese art developed. Art for the people that was consumed on an unprecedented scale.

CREDITS

All the videos, songs, images, and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and I or this channel does not claim any right over them. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

Thanks to Bart Vergouwe for Dutch Subtitles.
Thanks to Mi Nguyen for Vietnamese Subtitles
Thanks to Dimitris Grammenos for Greek Subtitles
Thanks to Charles Xiu for Chinese Subtitles
Thanks to Cosimo Botticelli for Italian Subtitles
Thanks to Victoria Drabik for German Subtitles
Thanks to Tomas Iriarte for Spanish subtitles
Thanks to Gustavo Lyra for Portuguese subtitles
Thanks to Edouard Henn for French Subtitles

Many thanks to Takashi Shibata and Shannon Shibato-Germanos for helping me, in particular with my pronunciations!

Music is copyright free - Debussy's Evocation of the Sea

Reference books
Hokusai: beyond the Great Wave, edited by Timothy Clark
Hokusai: Thirty-six views by Amelie Balcou
Ukiyo-e: The art of the Japanese print by Frederick Harris
Manga and the Representation of Japanese History by Roman Rosenbaum
A Brief History of Japan by Jonathan Clements
A history of Japan by RHP Mason and JG Caiger

[weareallbornmad]

"Everything I've done before the age of seventy is not worth bothering with." Man, what a balm for my anxious soul worrying about having reached 30...! I think I needed to hear that xd

[Yora]

The cool thing about prints like these is that there isn't an original. Having it as a poster is as authentic as the first print. That's what it's supposed to be.

[gpeddino]

Some extra trivia for those who didn’t notice the soundtrack: a very famous piece of music that was inspired by the Great Wave was Debussy’s “La Mer”.

[ShutUpStefana]

I have a puzzle of the great wave framed in my bedroom and just finished reading a book on Hokusai himself. I'm still pondering about something he said: ‘Until the age of 70, nothing I drew was worthy of notice. When I reach 80 years I hope to have made increasing progress, and at 90 to see further into the underlying principles of things, so that at 100 years I will have achieved a divine state in my art and at 110 every dot and every stroke will be as though alive.’

I love this mentality of continuously growing and learning, because it shows that age is not a limit when it comes to developing oneself; quite the contrary.

[neetiprakash]

This is the kind of stuff you watch to procrastinate without guilt. Love your videos!

[phoenixdzk]

I've had a picture of that painting up on a wall for 3 years, only just now seeing the boats... I gotta start paying more attention to stuff, geez

[sillygoose]

I’m an art teacher and showing these to my students is a great way to get them interested in learning art history! Thanks so much

[jameslangschied]

I turn 70 this year, so I guess I'd better get started with the best part of my life. Oh boy!

[paranoidhumanoid]

Van Gogh was in awe of Hokusai and an avid collector of duplicate woodblock prints... 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

[dbarker]

The skill of the woodcarvers is crazy.

[justotorres]

One of the biggest commodities at this time in Edo (now Tokyo) was fresh seasonal fish. You figure that Japan being an island would have all sorts of fish throughout the entire year, but it happens that the warm seasonal currents of the Pacifics would bring different schools of fish like mackerel and tuna at different times. The three intrepid boats in Hokusai's The Wave are not fishermen, but teamster delivery boats that were known for their speed and bravery in facing the rough sea surrounding the island. The team consisted of 10 strong men, 8 rowing nonstop with 2 alternating and resting every so often. In the wood print, you actually can see the team rowing in the back of the boats and the two extra men resting in between the team and the precious cargo at the front of the boat. These boats were designed to cut through the giant waves and were airtight so that even if the waves would crush over them they could continue rowing through them. Needless to say that these men were considered to be the Dare Devils of the sea and idealized by common people. A perfect subject for Hokusai who was well known for depicting the working class.

[angy]

What I love about these videos is that they give historical context. I was always told in Art class that Europeans were heavily inspired by the Japanese, but just now I could finally understand why it made a huge impact on them.

[mkdvood]

The last name (The most left column 11:56 ) of Hokusai is "画狂老人卍" (Gakyo Rojin Manji) which means Painting-Crazy Old Man Manji (Fortune Symbol).

[jerrysstories]

I'm a scientist with great enthusiasm for art but not a lot of knowledge of it. Channels like this one help fill the gaps in my long but specialized education. This makes me so grateful to live in the era of the internet and of content creators.

[mattsephton]

Super summary, thank you! The only thing I didn't hear you mention is the fact that Westerners interpret the image from left to right, but Japanese people interpret the image from right to left. This changes it from "giant wave about to engulf fishing boats" (Western reading) to "fishing boats approach giant wave" (Japanese reading) which is a subtle but meaningful difference. Nevertheless, great video!

[footfault]

Being a Japanese, I must admit a fact: I'm taken aback, although the most of the nation would share the sensation. This can't be found in ordinary common knowledge of the public. An impressive content with awe sprinkled everywhere. Greatly appreciated for an elaborate work backed with wide & deep researches on top of a pick of Hokusai!

[theartworkshop]

Great video!! Vincent Van Gogh was a lover of Japanese art. Many of his paintings were inspired by Japanese prints- the sky in Starry Night being the quintessential version.

[katwil]

When the image transposed from The Great Wave to Starry Night, I gasped a little bit and got goose bumps. Those are the kinds of little secrets and back-stories that absolutely intrigue me and your videos never disappoint to provide them. I can't wait for the next video!!

[GreatArtExplained]

Please leave a comment (even a short one) and "like" the video. It really helps promote the channel on YouTube. I appreciate it! James

[LEMONZEBRA]

The piece playing in the background is. Debussy’s La mer one of the most beautiful pieces of all time. It translates to the ocean great piece and great listen