Wave

Download3400 × 2829 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Aristide Maillol (French, 1861–1944)
Medium: Wood engraving
Size: Image: 16.9 x 19.6 cm (6 5/8 x 7 11/16 in.); Sheet: 25.1 x 30.3 cm (9 7/8 x 11 15/16 in.)
Culture: France, late 19th Century
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

The color woodcuts of Katsushika Hokusai were highly esteemed. One of his most famous prints, The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1823-31), is a striking image of an enormous cresting wave. Maillol exploited the curling water motif to achieve an energetic linear design that surrounds and cushions the nude woman but also creates a lively contrast to the large, flat white shape of her body. A precursor to Maillol's future work as a sculptor, Wave reveals the artist's interest in conveying the sensual curves of the female form.