The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Confucianism. Their artworks are more organic and asymmetrical with great emphasis on the natural world. One of the most famous Japanese arts is Katsushika Hokusai’s,…

When Claude Debussy composed his piece, La Mer (Movement II, Play of the Waves) between 1903 and 1905, he found inspiration in Katsushika Hokusai’s artwork, The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Because the song is based off of artwork, one with expect for it to be programmatic, and it meets those expectations. The title, La Mer, is customary for absolute music because it is telling of the idea that will be produced in the music. The music then follows through with the title by audibly depicting the sea…

my character past any interfering influence. There were so many media outlets that helped drive my passion for the water. The best way I can imagine to spend my time is to relax on a couch watching some of the best ocean films in history. There are great ones like The Abyss, Finding Nemo, or more recently, The Shallows, as well as the pretty bad ones like Waterworld that are just plain fun to watch. I would get up early every year as a kid during July and August to watch every second of “Shark…

Japanese Edo Period Art The Edo period had a lot of importance & impact on Japan as it helped flourish its culture by cutting off the west and isolating itself, with the help of many Schools of Japan learning new techniques in art which would become the norm for today. A lot of the impact was on the social classes, as artists started to become noticed, and recognised for the art they created. The points to discuss will be on ‘who’ to talk about. First, I’ll look at Hoitsu & Buncho from Edo as…

Roy Lichtenstein’s 1963 painting “Drowning Girl” is an appropriated image from the 1962 DC comic book, Secret Hearts #83, drawn by Tony Abruzzo. It also incorporates elements of the well-known Hokusai print “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”. In keeping with pop art tenets, Lichtenstein borrows from pop culture while removing it from context in order to make his statement. Initial criticisms accused Lichtenstein of merely copying and not creating. But Lichtenstein made conscious choices about the…

In an impermanent world, do we have to search for the meaning of life or does it come to us? Chuang Tzu, a Taoist, believes that a happy life comes from being with the Tao or the Way. It is about letting go the desires that come to us and changing our perspective to see the world in a larger picture. It is the growing attachment to these desires which hinder the ability to find the true nature or ultimate reality and despair and anxiety grows. To have a more meaningful and happier life is to…

These prints are an excellent representation of the Edo period and it’s art movement during this time in Japan. Ukiyo-e, and woodblock printing in general, has a great importance to the art history of Japan in the 17th century through the 18th century as it has brought many iconic Japanese artwork such as The Great Wave off Kanagawa and Kyobashi…

The Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, with its 7.9 magnitude on the moment scale, caused the deaths of 140,000 residents and forced Japan to reevaluate its earthquake resistance (Hammer, 2011). This paper will explore the preventive measures that were taken for…

A handscroll is a long narrow scroll for displaying a series of scenes in Japanese painting and calligraphy. The handscroll presents an artwork in the horizontal form and can be exceptionally long. The development of Heian culture was a way to show your love for another person. Both women and men would produce poems as well as paintings and calligraphy on the handscrolls. Lady Murasaki is the author of Tale of Genji one of the world’s longest novels. The significance of Tale of Genji is to…

Theme 1. Religion, Philosophy, Politics and Power Terracotta warriors from the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor of China Qin Shihuang, c. 221-206 B.C.E., Qin Dynasty, painted terracotta, Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Shaanxi, China The terracotta warriors belong to a burial complex created for the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Qin Huangdi. Qin Huangdi started building his burial complex at the age of 13, which is when he became emperor. He rose to power during the…