The Great Wave off Kanagawa
The artist
Katsushika Hokusai, a Japanese artist who made prints instead of oil paintings.
What you see
A giant curling ocean wave rises over three small boats, with tiny Mount Fuji seen far away.
The story
Hokusai created this woodblock print around 1831 as part of a series about Mount Fuji.
The style
It is a woodblock print, so the design was carved into wood and then pressed onto paper many times.
Look closer
Look at the top of the wave, where the white foam breaks into little claws reaching down at the boats.
Where to see it
Because it was printed many times, copies live in museums all over the world, from Tokyo to New York.
Fun fact
The deep blue color came from a new ink that Hokusai loved to use in his prints.