Under the Wave off Kanagawa
Hokusai's iconic woodblock print (c. 1831) from the series 'Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji' captures a towering wave about to crash upon fishing boats, with Mount Fuji serene in the background. The dynamic composition, the use of Prussian blue pigment, and the tension between human vulnerability and natural power created an image of universal resonance.
When Japanese ports opened to the West in the 1850s, ukiyo-e prints like this one triggered 'Japonisme'—a revolution in Western aesthetics that influenced Impressionism, Art Nouveau, and modern graphic design.