Art Masterpiece: “The Great Wave at Kanagawa”
Grade:
Month:
Keywords:
Objective:
Activity:
~ by Katsushika Hokusai
Kindergarten
April
Line, Landscape, Focal Point
Students will learn how Artists use lines to show movement
Create simulated waves by swirling lines of color
Vocabulary:
Line: Element of art referring to a continuous mark, made on a surface, by a moving point
Landscape: A painting or drawing that shows a scene from nature, including mountains,
trees, rivers, fields and other outdoor scenery.
Focal Point: The focal point is what first draws your eye, something that stands out.
Meet the Artist: (5 min)
Katsushika Hokusai was born in Edo, Japan in 1760, before the United States had
achieved independence. His family was poor and he was apprenticed to a woodblock
engraver. Eventually, he was thrown out because he was too talented. He then went to
work doing drawings and selling them on the streets just to make enough food to eat.
He started to draw for comic books, making banners, designing greeting cards and
illustrating books for the wealthy. He did marry and had children.
 Although changing names was a Japanese custom, he changed his over 30
times. Hokusai is the name he kept the longest. The name Hokusai means “Star
of the Northern Constellation”.
 He hated cleaning. So, when it became too dirty to work where he was, he just
simply moved. He moved himself and his family a total of 93 times! WOW !
 He was so talented he could draw birds in flight on a single grain of rice. He also
was a showman and would do shows by painting while he was hanging upside
down or with his feet in front of an audience.
 He was well known for his landscape paintings. But much of his work was
woodblock printing. (Woodblock prints are created when the artists carves their
subject into a wooden surface and uses that surface as a relief for printing.)
 Hokusai didn’t start his most famous works until he was 68!
 He painted a series, 36 views of Mt Fuji. It was published around 1830-You can
see Mt. Fuji in the background of The Great Wave
 Eventually, he painted over 30,000 pieces of art. He lived to 89, dying in 1849.
His final name was Gwakio Rojin, meaning “old man mad about drawing”.
Discussion: (10 min)
* What’s going on in this picture? Does it tell a story?
* What is the first thing you notice? This is the focal point.
* Is there movement in this painting?
* Has anyone been to the ocean? How did that feel? How does this picture make you feel?
* What time of day do you think it is? What season do you think it is?
* Does this look realistic or imagined? Hokusai depicts the scene from this series of prints not
exactly as they appear in nature, but as if they are viewed from many angels and in varied
circumstances. It may appear as realistic but it is not.
* Look for lines in the artwork. Give examples. Wave vs. the mountain. The boat vs the drops of water.
Lines can show movement or lack of movement. Have students point out what in the artwork is
supposed to appear as moving? Not moving?
Supplies:
1 ea of 9x12 Black & Brown Construction Paper
Construction Paper Crayons (using only white, grey & shades of blue)
Black Markers
Glue sticks
Scissors
Pencil
Activity:
Student name to be written on back of brown piece of paper, then set aside
Using the black piece of paper students will draw a wave w/pencil
Go ahead & demonstrate on whiteboard for kids to follow
Once they are happy with shape of their wave, trace over with black marker
Have them grab assortment of only these color crayons (white, grey & shades of blue) and have
them make “swirly” lines to show the movement of the wave. They should use only those colors
and in varying intensity. They will cut the wave out once they are done making all their swirling
“motion lines” and glue their wave onto their brown paper (they may need help with this so
make sure to line up @ bottom & sides)
Art Guide to review different types of lines on the white board and ask students to describe how
different lines make them feel & use them in their drawing.
Straight lines = stationary, strong, fast ( a house is made up of straight lines )
Wiggly/wavey lines = movement, silly, ( fast or slow depending on the amount of wiggle)
Zig-zag lines = jerking movement, erratic, unpredictable (lighting bolt)
Dotted line = skipping
Diagonal lines = moving
Vertical = tall
Horizontal = peaceful
With time permitting, students can add some other design feature to this composition that shows a
contrast in type of line. Perhaps a sun with rays of light (straight lines). Or a mountain in the back?
ART MASTERPIECE~KINDERGARTEN-SEPTEMBER LESSON
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
“The Great Wave at Kanagawa”
(from a Series of Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji)
In Art Masterpiece today, your child learned about the artwork of Katsushika
Hokusai and his famous woodblock print “The Great Wave at Kanagawa”. It’s
the giant wave, with the clawlike hands reaching towards the brave fisherman
with Mt. Fuii in the background. Some interesting facts about the Japanese artist
are: he changed his name over 30 times; Hokusai is the name he kept the longest.
The name Hokusai means “Star of the Northern Constellation”; he hated cleaning, so, when it became too dirty to work
where he was, he just simply moved. He moved himself and his family a total of 93 times! Eventually, he painted over
30,000 pieces of art. His final name was Gwakio Rojin, meaning “old man mad about drawing”. The students took part in
a class discussion about the artist & his print and were able to replicate this famous work of art.
ART MASTERPIECE~KINDERGARTEN-SEPTEMBER LESSON
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
“The Great Wave at Kanagawa”
(from a Series of Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji)
In Art Masterpiece today, your child learned about the artwork of Katsushika
Hokusai and his famous woodblock print “The Great Wave at Kanagawa”. It’s
the giant wave, with the clawlike hands reaching towards the brave fisherman
with Mt. Fuii in the background. Some interesting facts about the Japanese artist
are: he changed his name over 30 times; Hokusai is the name he kept the longest.
The name Hokusai means “Star of the Northern Constellation”; he hated cleaning, so, when it became too dirty to work
where he was, he just simply moved. He moved himself and his family a total of 93 times! Eventually, he painted over
30,000 pieces of art. His final name was Gwakio Rojin, meaning “old man mad about drawing”. The students took part in
a class discussion about the artist & his print and were able to replicate this famous work of art.
ART MASTERPIECE~KINDERGARTEN-SEPTEMBER LESSON
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
“The Great Wave at Kanagawa”
(from a Series of Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji)
In Art Masterpiece today, your child learned about the artwork of Katsushika
Hokusai and his famous woodblock print “The Great Wave at Kanagawa”. It’s
the giant wave, with the clawlike hands reaching towards the brave fisherman
with Mt. Fuii in the background. Some interesting facts about the Japanese artist
are: he changed his name over 30 times; Hokusai is the name he kept the longest.
The name Hokusai means “Star of the Northern Constellation”; he hated cleaning, so, when it became too dirty to work
where he was, he just simply moved. He moved himself and his family a total of 93 times! Eventually, he painted over
30,000 pieces of art. His final name was Gwakio Rojin, meaning “old man mad about drawing”. The students took part in
a class discussion about the artist & his print and were able to replicate this famous work of art.