RISD Museum 

Katsushika Hokusai,  Under the Great Wave, off Kanagawa, ca. 1829-1833

Watch this recorded video lesson with your students or assign it as independent work with discussion to follow. 

 and review essential questions, key terms, prompts and materials needed in the 

Virtual Visit: Under the Great Wave, off Kanagawa

Discussion Questions 2-4: Nature, Place, and Geography 

Writing/Making/Doing: Under the Great Wave, off Kanagawa

Write a haiku inspired by Hokusai’s print that captures its imagery and mood.

Writing Haikus: Under the Great Wave, off Kanagawa

To encourage students to think about what makes this image so powerful, ask them to focus on how Hokusai used scale, color, and line. Make your own observations about what you notice about scale (the size of different parts in relation to each other), color and types of lines. Circle important areas and write your notes about these key elements. Discuss your observations.  

Discussion Question 1: Color, Scale, and Line

About the Work: Under the Great Wave, off Kanagawa

Resource Kit Overview: Under the Great Wave, off Kanagawa

Looking at the objects around you, consider how many of them were created by an artist or designer. Artists and designers are problem solvers, inventors, and skilled technicians; they express the complexity of human experience in their times, communicate ideas, fulfill practical needs, and challenge us to stretch our own views. Explore different artists and designers who represent a broad range of time periods and cultures.



Virtual Visit Outline Lesson Plan Hokusai.pdf

Link: Teaching Notes / Artists' Ideas, Materials, and Process

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Artists’ Ideas, Materials, & Process: Under the Great Wave

Virtual Visit: Under the Great Wave, off Kanagawa

Background Knowledge