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Wave
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineWave, 1895–98. Aristide Maillol (French, 1861–1944). Wood engraving; 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.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund, 1997.5
