An Analysis Of Hokusai's Under The Wave Off Kanagawa

The narrator begins this story stating, “None of them knew the color of the sky” (338). He refers to the cook, the correspondent, the captain, and the oiler, the main characters. This quote means that all of them are focused on fighting for survival, paying all of their attention to the waves. They fight against the waves, trying to stay alive. However, the author states, “A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats” (339). The waves are a symbol of the uncaring nature; it does not matter how hard the protagonists try to fight against the waves because nature continues its course; the waves continue to flow. However, the characters are determined to stay alive. They continue to face this external conflict that is nature, even when they realize that nature is

The image shows a sailing ship, it could be an optimistic view of the painter expressing their particular direction of their goals and how we make choices in life. Or goals that are merely drifting away because it is difficult to get what we want out of life at times. Also sailing away could be a form of independence and freedom were we wish to break free from the constraints of everything we do in our daily lives. sailing on stormy waters depicts the difficulty of our choices and that things might be tough going forward. Or simply the strong desire to change life symbolizing the positive changes of our

I chose to study and analyze J.M.W. Turner’s Slave Ship for this project and found it to be very interesting. Immediately while looking at the piece you get a strong sense of emotion and drama that is being portrayed. There is a lot of depth and warmth in the colors that are used and wide swift brush strokes to create the images. The first image that caught my eye was of waves crashing on the left side of the painting. The white tips of the waves are very noticeable against the softer shades of the ocean. Behind the waves is a ship which is the next part of the painting that drew my attention. The ship seems to be caught in the rough waves of the sea and barely able to keep afloat. There is a glimmer of light from the sun peeking through

In the Turner’s The Slave Ship and Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa, the two artists use the complexity and versatility of the ocean to display important events and ideas of the time period. Through the use of different artistic techniques, these two artists are able to capture similar settings in very different ways with very different meanings.

Morisot uses a variety of techniques to illustrate a peaceful moment between a mother and daughter on the seaside. Throughout the piece, Morisot uses a series of short and spontaneous lines to create the figures and masses. The presence of these loose brush strokes throughout the piece create both rhythm and unity, making the piece simple and composed. However, variety is also created by the strong contrast between the foreground and background of this piece. The overlapping of the woman, child, and deck with the ocean and the disproportional shapes of the people and ships create an illusion of depth and space. This depth separates the masses present in the foreground from the background. The colors used in the foreground and background are also juxtaposed, with bolder and darker colors being used in the foreground and more bright and muddied colors being used in the background. This contrast establishes emphasis on the masses present in the foreground of the piece (the mother and child). The implied lines created by the gazes of the mother and child also contrast, with the mother’s view

The horizontal lines of the land represent calmness and te diagonal and vertical lines of the sea represents power and ever changing . There is a contrast with these two such as the sea is ever changing and the land that is hard slow to change. Next I looked at the shapes of the painting. With landscapes, such as this painting, there is organic shapes that show the chaos and never ending change of the ocean and storm that is pounding the land that is calm. I then looked at the contrast of the waves and land then the sky and storm. The waves are dark with the land being light with the opposite light above the dark waves and dark above the light land area. It makes it seem like the storm clouds are passing with the rising of the

A bitter breeze makes its way down the lake until it reaches the shoreline. As I am looking towards Ruby Island I feel an algid whip hit my face, sending shivers through my spine. An astonishment of nippy air gives me goose bumps causing my arm hairs to stick up like soldiers ready to scuffle away the bitterness. I saunter towards the end of the wharf , clinching my fists tightly in my pockets to keep the coolness of the air from touching my fingers. With every step I take, I can feel my feet sliding beneath me from the metal wiring that covers the hard wooden surface.Being very cautious trying not slip into the ferocious wavy water I take a peek at what is beneath. The waves no longer look inviting like were six months ago. Instead, they look sharp and snappy enough to freeze a soul. As I am scanning the rugged surface of the lake, something catches my eye.

Almost instantaneously recognizable, The Great Wave off Kanagawa (woodblock, 10 1/8 x 14 15/16 in, c. 1830-32), created by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai in 1830, beautifully captures the graceful, swelling movement of a crashing tsunami. Because of the way in which line and proportion are utilized, this woodblock print gracefully portrays the sheer power of the ocean. Derived from the Edo period in nineteenth century Japan, this classic was the first of a series of works from Hokusai titled Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, all of which effortlessly depict the mountain in a wide array of angles and scenery. Arguably, The Great Wave off Kanagawa is the most iconic and cherished piece of Japanese artwork in the world. Even more importantly, Hokusai is considered prominent father figure for both Japanese art, as well as Western modernization as a whole. The Great Wave truly displays how tiny and weak man is compared to the force of nature. Not only is The Great Wave a quintessential piece of art, but it established a piece in the comprehensive networks of art, trade, and politics, that has instilled a tremendous positive impact on the twenty first century.

The poem “Dear Matafele Peinam” by Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner is a tremendously moving poem about climate change. To begin, two of the main symbols of this poem are the lagoon and hands. Firstly, the lagoon symbolizes what the world could look like if people do not change. It shows the negative aspects of the world, and it also highlights the direction Earth is going. This symbol can be interpreted from the quote “men say that one day / that lagoon will devour you” (10-11). This implies that scientists are claiming that the Earth is headed in the wrong direction, and change is necessary before Earth devours its residents. Next, hands symbolize collaboration and change. Whenever hands were mentioned, it was always associated with change. A few examples are “hands reaching out / fists raising up” (62-63) and “marching with signs / hand in hand / chanting for change NOW” (80-82). These are powerful statements about rallies and statements about change. The hands are symbols of how the only way to save the planet for the future generations is to collaborate and work together to achieve a common goal.

Symbolism allows writers to suggest their ideas within a piece of literature. This is found in most types of writing. Stephen Crane expresses this in his short story, The Open Boat. Through symbolism and allegory, it is demonstrated that humans live in a universe that is unconcerned with them. The characters in the story come face to face with this indifference and are nearly overcome by Nature’s lack of concern. This is established in the opening scenes, the “seven mad gods” and in the realization of the dying soldier. The descriptions that Crane uses in the opening scenes illustrate nature’s lack of concern for their tragedy. He discusses the waves in the ocean that continually roll and crest. The waves are problems or

This image is similar to the one created in “Dover Beach – A Note” by Archibald MacLeish, who also used the crashing waves as a metaphor for the passing generations. In particular, Thomas is referring to ‘the last wave’ of good men, who believe that they could have accomplished more if they lived longer. However, Thomas provides reassures in this metaphor as after one wave, comes another, presumably with more good men. Additionally, Thomas uses the metaphor of ‘green bay’ to stand for life, as this is where the waves come from. Green especially is associated with life and youth. Moreover, the use of the words ‘bright’ and ‘danced’ to describe what the men’s ‘frail deeds’ could have been creates a contrast to show why men might rally against ‘the dying of the light’; who wants their deeds to be frail when they could be bright and

They are so consumed with their struggle against the waves they do not even have the time to notice something as simple as the color of the sky. From the very beginning the reader is filled with the suspense that each individual character feels. Despite the crews struggle with Mother Nature, they are continually struck by the fierce waves. With each passing wave the reader is lead to believe that this one will surely be the one that capsizes the little dingy. “As the salty wall of water approached, it shut all else from the view of the men in the boat, and was not difficult to imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean (256).” Crane creates suspense between the reader and the characters that allow both to feel the relentlessness of nature’s indifference of their struggled attempts to survive. It seems that no matter how hard the crew works to keep the dingy from capsizing “… the waves continued their old impetuous swooping at the dingy, and the little craft, no longer underway struggled woundily over them (259).” The narrator describes the waves as acting carefree and rather impulsive as if they had no obligation to the men for their survival. Nature does not care that this crew of men were working to survive, but nor does it mean to cause the men any harm. The waves are merely there, doing as nature intends the waves

I think the artist is able to communicate the bad condition of the ship and its crew is in. The mood of the work is scary and gloomy. The design and intensity of the waves, the changing weather, and the ships in the ocean seem to make the scene come alive. It really conveys a since of naturalism in the painting the way it depicts the environment around the ship.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai is a famous woodcut print that is commonly referred to as The Great Wave. Hokusai Katsushika was one of the greatest Japanese printmakers of the 19th century. The print, The Great Wave, is a part of a 36-piece series of the views of Japan’s most famous mountain; Mount Fuji. Hokusai’s series was very popular and sold rather quickly. Due to its popularity, Hokusai decided to extend the series to 46 pieces. The original piece was created around 1830 and was published in 1832 by Nishimuraya Yohachi. Within this paper, I will be discussing the analysis of this print while connecting my findings to the elements and principles of design.

The author uses kinaesthetic imagery in order to show the readers that everyone was not still on the ship and there was a lot of movement and chaos aboard the ship. Another interesting kinaesthetic image is that of the “Snappings of wood (which) filled the air like gunshots”. In this image the author shows us how stormy the sea was that it caused parts of a sturdy 80 year old ship to break into small fragments. The comparison could be to show that the storm was like a pirate who caused damage to the ship and its passengers.