Analysis Of The Great Wave By Katsushika Hokusai

Over the course of Japanese history, arguably, no artist is more famous for their works than Katsushika Hokusai. During his 88 years of life, he produced over 30,000 pieces of artwork, and heavily influenced Western styles of art. His most famous piece was created around 1831, a Japanese styled piece titled, The Great Wave off Kanagawa. This piece has stood as a defining piece of artwork in the Japanese culture for over 180 years, analyzed by students and authors for the interpretations filling the paper. The relationship between Hokusai’s painting has directly affected the Western point of view of Japanese style. The English author, Herbert Read’s novel interprets the painting distinctly differently from a Japanese point, American poet,

He references a spectator and an observer, both of whom look at the piece. The spectator refers to the quick-glancing Englishman, a man that looks at what is only right in front of him. His observer is a reference to a man more in-tune with the complete scenario of every aspect of the painting, he notices the lack of critical thinking from the Englishman who turns and walks away all too quickly. The poem then delves into two stanzas, none of which have a true rhyming scheme, there is also no meter with his poem, each line ranging from four to eight feet. However, the imagery Finkel uses, generates a rich understanding of the painting, appearing to the reader without ever being in view. In the first line of the poem he begins to ‘repaint’ the picture, “It is because the sea is blue, / Because Fuji is blue, because the bent blue / Men have white faces, like the snow / On Fuji, like the crest of the wave in the sky the color of their / Boats” (Finkel). His prominent use metaphors and references create multiple sensations and a defined setting that clones the

The speaker from the first stanza is the observer, someone who pays closer attention to the entire piece of work, noticing all the details and able to understand the painting as a fluid story and not a snapshot. He is a man with fishing experience. He knows violent the seas and the power nature holds, strong and unforgiving to any individual. The second speaker in the poem is the observer, his voice is heard in the second stanza. He describes the individual looking at the painting as an innocent bystander embracing the art in a museum. The man views the painting, not fully immersing oneself in the complete story of the painting. Instead, he just looks on as a spectator, not fully appreciating the intensity of what he is looking at. Breaking the poem into two stanzas not only allows Finkel to voice two speakers, but also allows him to alternate the tone. The tone of the first stanza with the observer is dark, the speaker describes the events in the painting with a terror, making the painting more realistic with hints of personal experiences. The second stanza is divided into two parts: the first is calm, the onlooker is innocent, gazing at the still image on the canvas, describing the painting at face-value. The latter half of the stanza brings the painting to life. Similar to the first stanza, it transitions back into darkness, a contrast of what the observer views on the