You know this image, “The Great Wave of Kanagawa”.
Created in the 1820s, it is from Hokusai’s famous woodblock prints, “36 Views of Mount Fuji”.

Or this one, by Hiroshige, who was inspired by Hokusa. About 30 years after the originals, Hiroshige made his own version of “36 views of Mount Fugi”, which includes this print, “View from Mount Fugi from Satta Point”.

I’m not alone in my love of these dramatic ocean waves. You see them over and over in Japanese imagery.

Which includes, of course, textiles.

Like this amazing one.

Or this one.

The designs get abstracted and simplified, but through it all, you can still see the Kanagawa wave.

As the Japanese prints made their way to Europe, they influenced the 19th century impressionists. Who in turn, seem to have influenced the designer of this silk.
The loose brush strokes look like Hokusai’s wave re-imagined through an impressionist painting.

I love how you start with an image, which is passed on and is abstracted and reinterpreted and re-imagined, then passed on again and changed once more. Each time the design morphs into something else as outside influences are added or subtracted.

Lucky me, these gorgeous silks are on my table now, ready for their next reincarnation.