What secret lies behind Hokusai's The Great Wave? An exhibition on the subject in Treviso, with 150 works

The Luigi Bailo Civic Museum in Treviso welcomes from March 29 to September 28, 2025 the exhibition HOKUSAI - Water and the Secret of the Great Wave, conceived and curated by Paolo Linetti, in collaboration with the Mnemosyne Association, organized by Athena Promakos in collaboration with ViDi Cultural.

What is the “secret” behind The Great Wave, the most famous work by Katsushika Hokusai, undisputed master ofUkiyo-e? This is the central theme of the exhibition. A symbol of an artistic production in which water occupies a central role and a symbol of the overflowing force of nature, The Great Wave is explored in depth in an exhibition that traces the chronological study of the various trials that led to the perfect wave in which Hokusai knew how to combine his extraordinary creativity with scientific rigor.

Through some 150 works, visitors will have the opportunity to gain an in-depth and unprecedented understanding of the artist’s compositional technique, the method by which Hokusai created his most famous works, in which references to a number of Renaissance masters can be found. Through comparisons with works by authors contemporary with him such as Kunisada, Utamaro, and Kuniyoshi, the exhibition also aims to highlight the modernity of Hokusai’s graphic rendering, his technique, and the profound impact his style had on subsequent generations.

“The impulse that guided me in this research work arose from the need to understand the deepest roots of the universal fascination exerted by Hokusai’s works,” explained curator Paolo Linetti. “I wanted to identify the reasons that allowed the Japanese master to achieve such extraordinary results, capable of fascinating both Eastern and Western cultures.”

Linetti was able to decipher over years of study and insight the constructive code on which the dynamic scenic scaffolding of most of Hokusai’s works rests, understanding its intellectual and technical approach on the one hand and its affinities with the harmonic principles of classical European art on the other.

“In May 2021, I discovered two fundamental geometric patterns that the master used to construct most of his works,” Linetti continued. “One of the most fascinating aspects is that this pattern derives from Western influences-a legacy that crosses the ocean, linking different continents and eras, explaining why the first Europeans who came into direct contact with Hokusai’s works felt a sense of familiarity, while being struck by the exoticism of Japanese art. In this exhibition, the pattern by which Hokusai constructed his works is finally revealed, representing one of the most important and fascinating moments of the exhibition. It is a unique opportunity to admire the creative process that made the master a universal icon.”

For info: https://www.museicivicitreviso.it/

Pictured is Hokusai Katsushika, The Great Wave off Kanagawa from The Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series (second half of the 19th century; polychrome woodcut on mulberry paper, 257 x 379 mm; private collection)

What secret lies behind Hokusai's The Great Wave? An exhibition on the subject in Treviso, with 150 works

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