Influencing the Impressionists: Hokusai’s Great Wave

Before Monet painted water lilies or Degas sketched ballerinas, a wave was crashing in from the East. In this episode, we explore how Japanese woodblock prints—especially Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’—reshaped the way Western artists thought about space, subject, and form. From flattened perspective to everyday scenes, ukiyo-e wasn’t just decorative—it was revolutionary. We’ll unpack the rise of Japonisme, its deep (and sometimes uneasy) influence on Impressionism, and how one iconic wave helped turn the tide of art history. Today’s image: Katsushika Hokusai, ‘Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura),’ (1830-32). Woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast | @matta_of_fact

You can listen to Influencing the Impressionists: Hokusai’s Great Wave online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Influencing the Impressionists: Hokusai’s Great Wave is an episode from Art of History by Amanda Matta.

This episode is 40:46 long.

This episode was published on May 8, 2025.

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