Rough Seas

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)

The Great Wave off Kanagawa c. 1823-29

Woodblock print

Cave Paintings to Picasso: The Inside Scoop on 50 Art Masterpieces showcases 50 major works of art from 22,000 B.C. to A.D. 1964 while providing a nice summary of art history for children. It is also a great place to start for the adult interested in beginning art study. The above print by Hokusai is one of the included masterpieces:

Hokusai's Great Wave is part of a Japanese printmaking tradition known as UKIYO-E, 'pictures of the floating world.' It celebrates the momentary beauty of the world and the joy of life.

This print caught my eye after watching a Little Einsteins episode with the boys which featured Hiroshige Utagawa's print, Rough Seas at Awa, The Navaro Rapids (1853-56).

Little Einsteins features a varied selection of masterpieces, one in each episode along with a famous composer and a short portion of one of his musical pieces. Music theory and world geography make this show one of our favorites for the younger crowd.