Caitlyn Durbin

Audrey Schmitz

ARTS1113

April 18, 2024

The theme that I chose was Environment and Nature. The artwork that I chose and the

one that spoke out to me the most is The Great Wave off Kanagawa created by Hokusai. The

artwork is ten by fifteen inches, having been created in the Edo period.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa can be seen here:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45434.
 One of the main reasons I connect to this artwork is because it shows me that even beings

as old as the ocean are allowed to express their emotions. To me, a storm- whether it be a

hurricane, tsunami, or even regular thunderstorms and tornadoes- is a symbol of power, elegance,

and anger. Storms can symbolize power in the way that they show the great might and extremity

of nature itself. Elegance, because of where the storms can take place and the beautiful pictures

that can be taken in the midst of these storms. The reason I associate anger with storms, and with

this artwork especially, is mainly due to my own emotions. Nature can change whenever it wants

to, whether it be gradual or immediate. It’s the same way with emotions. Emotions can change

from calm to anger within minutes depending on the circumstances. In this painting, the waves

can symbolize anger, especially when you consider the people in the boat and how the boat on

the left side of the painting looks as if it’s about to be toppled over by the sheer force of the

waves. Most of the time, human emotion- whether it be my own emotions, or someone else’s-

can sometimes feel strong enough to topple someone over, especially if the emotion is anger.

I would think of this artwork as belonging in role 4. The huge waves can represent

emotional turmoil, giving the idea that someone might be going through something difficult in

their life. The artwork is representational, but still holds the artist’s artstyle, changing it a little bit

but still keeping it realistic enough to get the idea across that the painting is that of the ocean

waves. As far as line goes, the artist uses romantic/expressive lines to give the idea of movement

within the painting. This can be seen in the waves more than anything else. The artist uses

overlapping as well as making objects smaller and bigger in the painting in order to show a sense

of space. The waves are in the foreground and are therefore bigger and more noticeable, and the

mountain is put farther in the background, showing that it’s farther away. The artist uses

overlapping with the various waves in the picture. The color palette is mostly cool colors, save
for the cream colored background. Various shades of blues simulate the shadows and highlights

of the waves, whereas the contrast of the cream colored background as well as cream colored

boats offer a break in all those waves of blue (pun intended).