In November I was able to see Hokusai’s famous print, “The Great Wave” in person. As someone who has loved Japanese art since childhood, this was a special moment.
To be honest, I did not know I was going to see Hokusai’s work that day. My husband and I were in California for a meeting he was attendin. I had the day free for my own pursuits, so I spent the day with cousins. They recommended that we go to the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, an plan that was wonderful to me, I love museums.
The main building is new, but it is attached to the original Spanish-style home that once belonged to the Bowers family. You enter the museum through a lovely Courtyard that leads you into the museum. Right at the front is the Tangata Restaurant where we ate lunch. Delicious. From the lovely entrance and delectable food, I knew this was going to be a great day.
I used to look at every single item in an exhibit, which would take me for hours. But now, on the advice of a friend’s daughter who was a museum curator, I find one or two items per exhibit and focus on them. So here are my favorites:
The original building is just stunning. The parts we could see, wood ceilings, carved doors, stone fireplaces, added to the atmosphere. In one room there was a display about some of the original settlers and members of the Bowers family featuring their possessions in the California Legacies exhibit.
I enjoyed the exhibit, “Gemstone and Carvings.” The crystal skull made us all think of the Indian Jones movie. As for the native American art, my favorite display was the Women’s Basketry Hats that was in the First Californias exhibit. Woven by the Yurok, Hupa and Karok women, these hats caught my eye. I would actually wear one of them!
Finally, the special exhibit, “Beyond the Great Wave, Works by Hokusai from the British Museum.” It is only at the museum through January 7, 2024, so go soon. It is wonderful.
The exhibit follows Hokusai’s work throughout his life, leading up to the Great Wave and then beyond it. Seeing all these wonderful wood block prints, and the skill it would take to create them, was exciting. There is even a short video on how the wood blocks are made.
Seeing almost all the of prints from “36 Views of Mt. Fiji” and the one that has caught the attention of the world, I was surprised, honestly, about how small the prints were in size. In my mind they must be enormous. Instead they are all small enough to fit into a portfolio.
I enjoyed seeing the prints he made at different stages in his life. My favorites were the ones of scenes in Japan with people going about activities. They are extremely colorful. But I focused my camera on the Great Wave and two other prints from the series. I decided I liked these especially, because like the Great Wave, the main color was Prussian Blue, a color that I adore.
We did not have time to go to all of the exhibits in the museum. In reality you cannot see everything in a museum in one visit. But for those visiting the Santa Ana area, a visit to the Bowers Museum is worthwhile.
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