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Katsushika Hokusai, whose childhood name was Tokitarô, displayed talent from an early age. He began painting at the age of six, and when he was eighteen, he was accepted into the studio of Katsukawa Shunshô, an artist of the ukiyo-e genre. Throughout his training he cultivated his abilities, and after the death of his teacher in 1793, he began experimenting with other styles of art, including European styles. Eventually his work became more focused on landscapes, and he became famous for his breathtaking compositions and use of the vibrant new ink, Prussian blue. Prussian blue (a.k.a. Berlin blue) was one of the first synthetic colors ever made. It was invented in Germany in the 18th century, and it completely changed color in Japanese woodblock prints. Before Prussian blue, blue and purple dyes were made out of plants and would fade within weeks. With Prussian blue, the vibrant color would last almost indefinitely. Experimentation with this color is prominent throughout Hokusai’s work.Label Type
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The so-called Great Wave was part of a popular series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” out of which, contrarily, forty-six designs were made. In this print, Hokusai makes the tallest mountain in Japan seem small, about to be engulfed by the ocean. Generally, the wood blocks were used to print until they were unusable–whether damaged or literally worn out–after which a new set of blocks might be cut for popular works such as this one. For the Great Wave, subtle differences between prints, including a shift in the color of the boats and more angular lines in the printing of the light blue, indicate a change of wood blocks. Because such variations are present, SUMA’s print was likely made sometime in the 20th century. The exact number of surviving prints of the Great Wave has not been established, but some experts estimate that there may be as many as 8000 prints.