Shichiri Beach in Sagami Province

The Japanese painter Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) has gained importance as an almost classical representative of the ukiyo-e movement. Actually, behind the term ukiyo-e lies the insight into the transience of all earthly things, but a look at the picture before us makes it clear that the meaning of this expression had already changed in the lifetime of Katsushika Hokusai. The woodcut Shichiri Beach in Sagami Province belongs to the famous series "36 Views of Mount Fuji", the most famous image of these works is "The Great Wave off Kanagawa".

The image of the beach in Sagami province captivates in particular by its almost abstract clarity, both in color and in its flatness. Looking at the sky color, for example, the sky occupying almost half of the picture, it shows itself as a succession of shades, ranging from a light reddish brown on the horizon, which gradually turns into an almost white yellow and darker towards the upper edge of the picture Expecting blues opens, which finally ends almost in a black color. The sea, whose representation occupies large parts of the lower half of the picture, lies almost motionless in front of the viewer, only in the lower third of the picture does the artist hint at smaller wave movements, which, however, can also be perceived as a mere decorative pattern. In the right half of the picture, slightly above an imaginary center line, Mount Fuji rises in the center of the picture. He does not look sublime due to its rather modest dimensions in relation to the overall picture, but he is the only object to be seen on the woodcut, which nevertheless rises majestically with its concave summit. He takes on the shape of the hill, which can be seen on the bottom right of the picture. The hill and the mountain are connected by a rocky, rather unnaturally blue-colored, rock-like rock formation, which spreads obliquely in the lower right half of the picture to the top left below the Fuji. This promontory is crowned by some trees, which the painter has positioned almost in the middle of the picture.

On the left of these trees, white clouds of cum build up over the horizon, without the viewer even having the slightest idea of an impending thunderstorm. Like the waves, the clouds also alternate between representational representation - this is a cloud - and mere ornament, which is essential for the overall composition of the work and its captivating harmony.

The painting exudes an enormous peace and relaxation. Neither the Fuji, after all, a volcano, nor the clouds in the background seem threatening, just as the sea. Everything blends into a meaningful whole. It should be noted that this, like all other woodcuts of Katsushika Hokusai betray the perfect mastery of this technique.