Shocked art fans are all saying the same thing after seeing the original 'Great Wave' painting
Art lovers have been left baffled after discovering the real size of a hugely popular creative piece of artwork.
After visiting the Montreal art museum currently housing The Great Wave Off Kanagawa - a woodblock print by Japanese artist Hokusai - X user Callan shared the image online.
The post quickly caused a stir, with fans from around the world shocked after realising the true size of the original 1830s piece.
One of 36 in a series of woodblocks titled Thirty-Six Views Of Mount Fuji, the panel is much smaller than many members of the public had come to believe.
'Am I silly or did anyone else think this piece was much larger?' asked Callan.
Found as a card in plenty of gift shops, a poster in countless rooms and even spanning duvet covers and luxury throws, the print is familiar to both art lovers and those uninterested in artwork.
But like many popular art pieces such as Van Gogh's Wheatfield With Crows or the Mona Lisa, seeing the real thing can sometimes be underwhelming.
And it's not because the artwork isn't magnificent, but because it's so different in scale than it typically appears in replicas and reprints.
'Very cool to see these details up close, either way!' Callan continued.
With 14,000 likes and hundreds of comments, many who viewed the post were similarly taken aback.
One person wrote: 'I definitely assumed it was bigger!' Another echoed the sentiment, saying: 'I've seen this in person too, but at the time I didn't think about it.
'We have seen it projected or printed on big walls and I guess that's why we tend to imagine the original is bigger?'
One person argued that the precise nature of the details lend the piece to being enlarged.
'There's so many big reproductions of it,' wrote Michael Frank. 'It's a testament to how clean and elegant the work is.'
Many commenters who had also seen the original print shared their similar experiences
And another chimed in: 'I too was shocked when I saw it in person. I guess we're used to seeing poster-sized versions.'
However, those familiar with wooden prints pointed out that the scale is not unusual for the medium and genre.
In fact, the piece - emblematic of the ukiyo-e style - might actually be on the larger end for its kind.
One of the most well-known pieces of Japanese art in history, its dimensions are 24.6cm x 36.5cm - or 9.7in x 14.4in.
The timeless image has before been described as 'possibly the most reproduced image in the history of all art', which explains why viewers might have preconceptions about its appearance.
In the context of wooden prints, 'oban' refers to pieces roughly 10in by 15in.
One commenter pointed out bluntly: 'This is the standard size for ukiyo-e prints, so yes, you are being silly.'
Others in the comments shared their experiences of seeing their favourite artworks in person - only to realise they were much larger or smaller than expected.
And portraits such as Van Gogh's (pictured) and the Mona Lisa - so often replicated - are not as large as art fans may suspect
'Mona Lisa and Van Gogh's self portrait are also super small,' wrote one. 'It's funny how such small paintings have massive impacts.'
Other paintings which are deceptively small upon first viewing are The Creation Of Man by Michelangelo and The Persistence Of Memory by Salvador Dali.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
ALEXANDRA SHULMAN'S NOTEBOOK: An unexpected audience with my late, great father
Fiddling around on my laptop the other evening, I accidentally flicked a key and found myself listening to an episode of Desert Island Discs from the Radio 4 archives. Utterly unexpectedly, out boomed the unmistakable voice of my late father Milton, from an episode recorded in 1994. It was an extraordinary moment. Briefly, I wanted to stop it. I wasn't braced to hear him and feared it would make me miserable. But the urge to listen was stronger. I then wanted to keep listening for hours to the anecdotes I'd heard so many times throughout my childhood. His being hired by Lord Beaverbrook to be a film reviewer with no previous experience. His quite ridiculous pronouncement he had seen no new important plays during his 40-odd-year career as the theatre critic for London 's Evening Standard. The episode so vividly painted the picture of an ambitious Canadian who came to London with the military in the war and fell in love with the city and journalism. He never lost his Canadian accent. The whole interview was suffused with his amusing, proud and combative personality, and immediately I could see us all back round the family dinner table immersed in one of our many heated discussions. It was lovely to hear him again, but it was also desperately sad to know that this was the only way I can hear him now. He sounded so familiar, as if it were only last night that I'd heard him deliver some passionate opinion or other. In fact it has been 21 years since I last heard him speak. It was such a powerful reminder of how much I still miss him. Pregnancy is now the height of fashion Pregnant Saoirse Ronan looked ravishing at the Louis Vuitton Cruise show in a silky LV satin and lace slip that offered absolutely zero help in the bra department. I envied her. I can't imagine being able to go braless on a red carpet when I was pregnant. But things are different now. Pregnancy is a high-wire act of happily showing off this miraculous condition while maintaining high fashion credibility. Visible pregnancy has been acceptable for decades (in the 1950s women were squished into corsets, swathed in smocks and more or less hidden). But it's only recently become a fashion talking point. It's not just Rihanna in Marc Jacobs, or Sienna Miller in a white Schiaparelli puffball skirt and crop top at Vogue World, announcing their pregnancies to the world on the red carpet. You only have to scroll through Instagram to see a panoply of massive bare bellies. Visible pregnancy has been acceptable for decades but it's only recently become a fashion talking point. It's not just Rihanna in Marc Jacobs, or Sienna Miller (pictured) in a white Schiaparelli puffball skirt and crop top at Vogue World, announcing their pregnancies to the world on the red carpet Nobody could have been more delighted than me to be pregnant at the age of 36. But within weeks I'd turned into something more akin to an armchair than a woman. I'd have been no more able to wear a braless satin slip or crop top than to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Every inch of me resembled a Michelin Man – including limbs and feet. It just would have looked terrible. Not so for Rihanna, Sienna and Saoirse. The compensation for spending nine months dressed in a selection of drab, elasticated clothes and increasingly unattractive underwear was the thought of the baby at the end. It was after my son was born, when I was still nowhere near ready to wear a silky slip, that it really got depressing. How a glass of pink can leave you blue It's rosé season. Which, if you love the wine as I do, makes this a dangerous time. Rosé slips down in a different way to red and white. I've developed a theory that this dreamy pink potion doesn't register with the body as quickly as other wines, so it's easy to feel no effect until you've drunk too much. One glass, two glasses, even three and it's possible to imagine you're still stone-cold sober. Then an hour later your metabolism catches up – by which time, yes, it's too late and a hangover looms. Now everything's rosy in the garden A passer-by outside my house last Friday morning would have seen a figure in the pouring rain wearing a dressing gown and flip flops standing in the middle of the road consulting their iPhone. That would have been me dealing with a tech problem. But what was heavenly was the rich scent of jasmine and roses from our front garden, released at last by the rain after the dry weeks of May. Tousled Meghan puts on the style Meghan has posted a picture of herself with Lilibet on social media. While others have focused on her decision to show, for the first time, a small glimpse of her four-year-old daughter's face, I am most intrigued by Meghan's hair. Usually blown dry to a petrol slick, here she shows off a tousled look, presumably her natural style. As a reluctant hair brusher myself, it's one of Meghan's few character traits I can relate to. She looked rather splendid. Why must the show go on... and on? We have tickets for the musical Stereophonic opening next week about the trials of a rock band based on Fleetwood Mac. But I've just discovered it's coming in at three hours and ten minutes. That's way past my preferred running time, which is a concise 90 minutes with no interval. Dame Rosemary Squire, one of London's leading theatre owners, apparently agrees. She's spoken to say that audiences start to panic about having to get up the next day after performances that last more than two and a half hours. I can only hope the music is half as good as the Fleetwood albums. Keep the mozzies at bay – with Marmite Last week I wrote of my incessant battle with mosquito bites. Thank you to everyone who offered antidotes. My prize for the most unexpected go to Marmite and Tiger Balm. I look forward to road-testing them.
The Review Geek
13 hours ago
- The Review Geek
Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) Ending Explained – The post-credits scene changes what we know about Prey
Predator: Killer of Killers Plot Summary Killer of Killers is the newest addition to the Predator franchise. It's an animated anthology set in different times, such as the Viking era, feudal Japan, and the US during World War II. Each period has its specific Yautja targeting humans in their quest to prove they're the strongest hunters in the universe. The three main characters trying to survive are Ursa (a Viking), Kenji (a ronin), and Torres (a pilot). As in all Predator movies, these people are living their lives when, suddenly, the alien arrives, wreaking havoc. When she was a child, Ursa was forced to kill her dying father or choose to die in his place. Her dad forced her to kill him and avenge him when she was older. Now, that's her mission. But the creature reveals his presence right after she accomplishes her desire. Kenji's father was a fierce feudal lord, and the man demanded that Kenji and his brother fight each other to prove themselves. The kid ran away and prepared to get revenge when he was older. As an adult, he strikes at his brother's domain with all the contempt he has been carrying throughout his life. Unlike the others, Torres had a more peaceful life. However, he never went after his dreams. So, after being drafted, he arrived at the place where he could become the pilot he always wanted to be. The only problem is that his enemy wasn't only other soldiers but a Yautja spaceship. Do Ursa, Torres, and Kenji die? After their terrible battles against the Predators in their time, each of the humans managed to come out on top. The monster killed Ursa's entire clan in front of her, even her son, but she survived. In their heated battle, she tricks the alien, breaking the icy floor below him and submerging the creature. He tries to drag and drown her with him, but she uses his weapons to kill him. The Yautja interrupts Kenji's fight with his brother and destroys everyone in his path while trying to kill the ronin. Kenji almost doesn't survive, but he meets his sibling again, and they work together to defeat the threat. Although they accomplish that, Kenji is the only one who makes it out alive. Torres analyzes a strange object that pierced through one of the army's planes and finds out they have a new and strange opponent. However, he could never have imagined how superior and out of this world that enemy would be. With his spaceship, the Predator obliterates everyone in his way, leaving only Torres alive. The boy concocts a crazy but inventive plan and destroys the monster's vehicle. However, that isn't the end of any of these stories. Later, we find out the aliens have kidnapped Torres and the other survivors and taken them to the Yautja planet. What happens on the Yautja planet? Torres wakes up in a weird spaceship wearing a collar and surrounded by aliens. Even though he finds two more humans like him there, Ursa and Kenji, they can't understand each other's languages. So, they arrive on the planet not knowing anything. Then, what seemingly is the Yautja emperor, tells them they have to kill each other, and the winner will fight him. Kenji learned from his previous fight that they must work together if they want to survive, but the Viking has a different opinion. She charges him and the boy, who's also reluctant to fight, and almost kills Torres. While Ursa and Kenji fight, Torres is eaten alive by a massive monster. However, the movie quickly shows he's alive and trying to fight the creature from the inside. All of them work together to defeat the alien, but the kid is still inside it, so he's mistakenly taken out of the arena. Ursa keeps trying to kill Kenji, but he lets go of his sword, refusing to fight. That paralyzes her, leaving the woman confused about what she should do. That sets them as failures in the emperor's eyes, so he decides to activate the collars, which will explode their heads. Thankfully, Torres gets back there, revealing he deactivated the bombs. Now that they're free, they go after the emperor Yautja and its spaceship. While Ursa and Kenji distract the monster, Torres finds a way to use the vehicle and starts the engine. Although they get inside it, they still aren't in the clear. More Predators arrive and use a mechanism to chain the spaceship, preventing it from flying away. That's when Ursa decides to sacrifice herself to save them. She jumps off after leaving her final words, 'Don't avenge me,' and destroys the mechanism. The creatures easily kill her, but her new partners manage to survive and fly off into the distance. Who is inside the cryo pods? Right after that, we get a glimpse of somewhere on the Yautja planet. There are many cryo pods with mysterious creatures that the aliens have probably hunted down. Even though it's impossible to see what's inside most of them, we zoom in on one with a familiar face. Naru, the protagonist from Prey, is frozen inside one of the pods. This implies that, like with Torres and the others, the Predators have gone after her again and taken her to their planet. There's still a lot to find out, but this might mean a sequel to the movie. Or the girl might even appear in Badlands, the franchise's next instalment, giving us more insight into her situation. Read More: Predator Killer of Killers Movie Review
Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Telegraph
How Yoshitomo Nara's moody kids conquered the art world
Yoshitomo Nara's children don't seem very happy. The 65-year-old Japanese artist has been painting them since adolescence: small bodies with big heads, soft cheeks and hard stares. What are they thinking, these little ones? Their fixed expressions are less likely to suggest innocence than malice – or misery. Sometimes a slogan in English, daubed by Nara onto an otherwise plain background, might offer a clue. 'Stop the Bombs,' says one, above a scrappy figure who eye-balls the viewer furiously, two small fangs emerging from the corners of her downturned mouth. 'Don't Waste Another Day,' implores another, over a kneeling figure, her legs tucked beneath her in supplicatory seiza pose. Whatever it means, during the past few decades, Nara's cartoonish art has become serious business: in 2019, Knife Behind Back, a characteristic work of a scowling green-eyed girl in a red dress, sold at auction for £20 million. This summer, the Hayward Gallery, in London, is staging Nara's biggest European exhibition to date. Here, the artist introduces eight artworks, from the 150 that will be on show, which chart the evolution of his now unmistakable style. With Horses? 1984 This early work is from my fourth year as a student at Aichi University of the Arts. I began doodling on an envelope I happened to have at hand and liked the way the coloured pencils appeared against the tone of the paper, so I ended up drawing several pieces. This was a brand-new envelope, but later when I was studying abroad in Germany, I started drawing on discarded envelopes I found in the rubbish bin in the school office. People on the Cloud, 1989 I produced this picture during my first year at art school in Germany. I wanted to bring together the many interesting elements in my mind into a single world. It's as if the things I finally managed to fit in were walking on the very edges... an excess of elements. Sleepless Night (Sitting), 1997 In the 1990s, I started to treat my backgrounds with a single colour while still maintaining a sense of nuance. If you look at this painting up close, I think you will see that the surface is very delicate. I made an effort to make the atmosphere surrounding the figure blend over the entire image, otherwise the figure would look like it had just been cut out and stuck on. Missing in Action, 1999 Missing in Action represents the style of mine that is most recognised by viewers. This style began developing at the beginning of the 1990s and was established by the end of that decade. I try to express both colour and motifs with a minimum of simple elements. Cup Kid, 2000 This image shows a little child playfully added into a ukiyo-e postcard. Adding something to an existing printed piece like this can serve as training to strengthen the imagination. My Drawing Room 2008, Bedroom Included, 2008 I actually prefer drawing in a small room, the size of a child's bedroom, rather than in a large studio. It connects me back to my childhood, when I would doodle for fun. The things I have studied and learnt about art since my adolescence are important, but there's also something in those earlier feelings that shaped my individuality. For me, this piece feels like returning to the cocoon from before I hatched into the person that I am today. One Foot in the Groove, 2012 I joined together six old window frames with the glass removed to create one board, then painted onto it a child lying on the clouds. After I had finished, I added the words 'One Foot in The Groove' in red... but realised immediately afterwards that they were unnecessary, and painted over them. I didn't come to this realisation until I had finished writing the words, so it ended up becoming a little detour. But being able to laugh at myself and think, 'I'm such an idiot,' is part of the fun of creating. Miss Moonlight, 2020 It's difficult to look directly at the sun, but you can stare as much as you want at the moon. And, of course, moonlight is a reflection of sunlight, so you can also quietly feel the presence of the sun in it. Yoshitomo Nara is at the Hayward Gallery, London SE1 (), from June 10-Aug 31
