Artwork is much more than just a painting hanging on a wall. Artwork goes much deeper than that and can even have major effects on a person's emotions. Artwork has meaning behind it that the creator wants the audience to interpret. The artist is able to get his interpretation across by using the elements of art. A great example of using this would be Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa". The use of artistic elements such as color, texture, placement and line allow the audience interpret a certain message from this piece of art. "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa" was created to show that humans tend to underestimate the power of nature and in turn can be majorly effected by its might. Many people may not understand how powerful nature is and a simple analysis of this iconic painting will prove that.  

When looking at a piece of artwork one of the most apparent elements is color. Color is extremely important to artwork and "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa" uses it perfectly. From first glance the audience will see the vivid blue ocean and the blue on the backs of the people, but what they do not see is a blue sky. This was done so that the audience will direct their focus primarily on the ocean and the people. With every other color dull and faded, the audience can not help but be drawn to the beauty of the blue colors. Focal points are strategically placed by artists to catch their attentions at a specific place in the artwork. For example, the focal point for this art piece is the blue color of the wave. It is impossible for the audience to ignore the powerful blue wave because of the fact that those colors are the brightest and most vivid. The sky itself is a greyish orange color with a few dark clouds across the bottom. The dark clouds in the sky help symbolize the meaning. The storm clouds in the sky portray a storm off in the distance showing how the people on the boat were able to see what they were getting themselves into but proceeded to ignore the signs. Analyzing this piece closely through color helps show his true meaning.

This painting does not have any physical texture but it does however have visual texture. At first glance the viewer is able to see the might of the great wave through the texture that was created. The quick short strokes on the peak of the wave helps portray the might of the wave as it is crashing down on the people. Another example of when texture is used can be identified on the sides of the boat. He makes the boat look as if it has been torn or beaten up which helps add to the might of the wave itself and can once again relate back to the meaning behind the artwork. The spotted texture of the sea foam coming off of the wave contributes to the chaos. All of these examples work together to provide the interpretation that people underestimate the power of nature and in turn can be major effected by its might.

The placement and position of objects in this painting have an impact on the interpretation of it. The placement of Mount Fuji in the background helps the audience get a sense of where they are in time. Historically speaking, this region is known for having massive tsunamis come through often. The random placement of the sea foam is what adds to the sense of chaos and the overwhelming force of the waves. Another example of when placement is used is evident when looking at the people on the boat. The people are laying down in the boat, essentially giving up. The small size of the people in comparison of the waves, and the placement of their bowing bodies gives an idea that the people are worshipping the powerful waves. By interpreting placement, we can get a better understanding of this artwork and how it is showing us how forceful nature truly can be.

Lines are very simple but they have a large impact on pieces or art. One thing that can be observed from "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa" is that there are almost no straight lines. This artwork consists mainly of curved lines which adds detail to the image and can in turn be used to help interpret the meaning behind the work of art. The ocean in the painting consists entirely of curved lines and these lines help the audience see how rough the water was meant to look. The sharp downward angle of the lines also indicates that if this artwork were continued, the next frame would most likely show the waves crashing on the people, devastating them. Based on this, it is easy to tell that the ocean was strong and had a sense of might to it. A second example would be the facial expressions of the people on the boat. Curved lines were used to represent the eyes of the boaters. The downward shape of the lines represents the sadness and fear by the people. Something as small as a simple line can have massive effects on pieces of art.

Artwork is not just created for people to hang on a wall as decorations. In reality paintings have meanings behind them and can be easily interpreted. A great example of this would be Hokusai's "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa". Using the elements of art such as color, texture, placement and line the audience can easily interpret the artist's meaning behind his work. Every piece can be interpreted differently and can have their own meaning behind them. All of the elements of art come together to form an overall interpretation of this specific piece. The audience should use the elements of art on every other piece of art they analyze so that they interpret the artwork and get a better understanding of what it is trying to say. This specific piece of art shows how humans tend to underestimate the power of nature and can be seriously effected by its true might. 

