![](https://shoppinginterest.com.au/file/pic/foxfeedspro/2017/02/e2dad15f530ac69ff7c23b74ccab8551.png)
Updated
It's a classic piece of Japanese art that dates back to circa 1830, but you might know it better as an emoji. Or printed on a t-shirt. Or shoes. Or laptop case.
Katsushika Hokusai's Great Wave off Kanagawa — part of his Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series — has become iconic in the Western world.
For decades, European artists have put their own spin on the image, helping to keep it fresh and relevant to modern audiences.
![The Giant Robot Magazine did this spin for its front cover. The Giant Robot Magazine did this spin for its front cover](HTTP://www.abc.net.au/cm/lb/8726316/data/the-giant-robot-magazine-did-this-spin-for-its-front-cover.-data.jpg)
![Artist Lin Onus puts his own spin on the wave Artist Lin Onus puts his own spin on the wave.](HTTP://www.abc.net.au/cm/lb/8726320/data/artist-lin-onus-puts-his-own-spin-on-the-wave-data.jpg)
And then there's the retail sector, which has used the image on countless products in an effort to sell their wares.
The original has now come to Australia to appear in the National Gallery of Victoria's exhibit of Hokusai's work, to open July 21.
"This is something that can be challenged, but interestingly it's become possibly the most reproduced image in the history of all art," NGV exhibit curator Wayne Crothers told News Breakfast.
"Graffiti artists use it in laneways, every second Asian restaurant has it on the menu, it's on drink coasters, coffee mugs, jigsaw puzzles.
"It sort of has a life of its own."
![A mural of the wave in Campbelltown A mural of the wave has been on a wall in Campbelltown in London for more than a decade.](http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/8720130-3x2-700x467.jpg)
Why has the wave become so popular?
Melbourne-based artist Dane Morley said it captured the imagination of the Western world in a way European pieces could not.
"It invokes a romantic, almost stereotypical view of Japan, at least from a foreigner's perspective," he said.
"It is an instantly recognisable image, as it embodies the very essence of Japanese spirit with the inclusion of Mount Fuji."
Mr Crothers echoed those sentiments, saying: "There's that natural instinct within people to relate and engage with nature, it's like an escape from all the other aspects of your world."
Are the reproductions respectful or rip-offs?
According to Morley, they can be a bit of both.
"It is always tricky balancing between kitsch and homage," he said.
![Hokusai The Wave on PlayStation controller Online retail giant Amazon is offering a stick-on "skin" for PlayStation game controllers.](http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/8720100-3x2-700x467.jpg)
"The fact that artworks can be reproduced means more people have access to them and from this they become engraved into society and help shape the very identity of a culture.
"At some point, the artist needs to relinquish control of their own work and allow it to manifest itself in the minds of others.
"Art should be open to all people, and if the price to pay is some cheap trinkets, then it's well worth it."
![Hokusai The Wave on a t-shirt The wave appears on a t-shirt.](http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/8720142-3x2-700x467.jpg)
It's also entirely possible Hokusai wouldn't have minded the reproductions.
Despite starting as an apprentice wood-block artist at 19, he didn't create his most famous work — including the wave — until he was in his 70s.
This meant, like many artists, he struggled to make ends meet.
"He lived in poverty all his life so I'm sure he wouldn't have minded a couple of the royalties," Mr Crothers jokes.
"But he was someone who appeared to really enjoy public acknowledgement.
"If I did a doodle or if I did an image and in 100 years time it became such an iconic symbol you would lie there in your grave with a smile on your face."
Topics: arts-and-entertainment, painting, visual-art, popular-culture, australia
First posted