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4-4 Project part 2 Exploration Document rough draft...

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1 Exploration Document Draft Avilio Bruno HUM200

Cultural Artifacts My first work is the painting titled The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum by the English painter John Martin. It was commissioned to be painted by Richard Greville and completed in 1822. My second work is the mural The Great Wave by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. It was created during the Edo period of Japan and was published sometime between the years 1829 and 1833. Common Theme The common theme shared in both of these works is natural disasters. Natural disasters are forces to be reckoned with that can destroy anything in their path. In the painting The Great Wave you see a large tsunami as men in their tiny ships try their best to stay afloat amidst the unstoppable storm. following the same theme of natural disasters, the mural, The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum also displays a large amount of natures power as you see a large volcano erupting, covering the city in molten rock, spreading fire along the way. Personal Experience The theme of natural disasters relates to me very closely, as I work as a first responder where tornadoes are very common. Natural disasters strike my state and bring destruction in their wake. My town was nearly completely destroyed by tornadoes in April of 2011. As first responders, we are first in line to head to the scene of destruction and sometimes even death when natural disasters strike. I've spent many hours going through the wreckage that tornadoes and floods leave behind. The harm of natural disasters and the experiences I've had with them is why this theme is meaningful to me.

2 Profession National disasters are events that see everyone equally and strike anywhere in the world. This in turn, alerts the response of firefighters and disaster medicine teems to respond to the call of duty and help those in need. In the professional sense, healthcare and any first responders on the front lines should have a good understanding of humanities. Having a solid foundation of the humanities and how they connect human culture and experiences allow for these workers to understand the people they come into contact with and be able to better serve their communities. For example, understanding this theme of natural disasters and understanding how they affect communities and the perspective of the victims will help first responders be able to put together action steps for the next time disaster strikes. Humanities Resources My first resource is a article on the history surrounding The Great Wave and its creator Hokusai Katsushika. This historic resource is titled, "A Brief History Of 'The Great Wave': Japan's Most Famous Artwork." Going alongside that resource is my second source titled, "Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)" This source is an analysis of The Great Wave as well as a cultural background that was written by a Khan Academy writer, Leila Anne Harris. My third and final source is titled, '"The destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum" by John Martin.' In this source one will find insightful commentary from art enthusiast George P. Landow. The first two resources help really give insight to not only the painting, The Great Wave, itself, but also into the history of the Edo period of Japan and the artists that lived in it. My third source is one of the few found resources that are accessible on The destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It provides lots of knowledge through the eyes of art enthusiasts who truly recognize how to analyze these unique and amazing works of art. To locate all these sources I had to comb through

3 the pages of google as well as the SNHU provided Shapiro Library to finally find the ones that proved most helpful to my research. Historical Context The historical context of The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai is not directly linked to the theme of natural disaster. According to Hiroe Nirei (2017), It is actually part of a larger collection of works painted during the Edo period which collectively had the title, "36 views of Mt. Fuji." While Mt. Fuji is a theme of the painting, the most prominent feature is in fact, the large crashing wave, which the title was named after. John Martin's mural, The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum, was painted in 1822. Martin was well known for his excellent depictions of catastrophic events as well as insurmountable crisis according to Landow (2016). This made Martin the perfect choice for Greville to commission the painting to. Similarities and Differences Despite one work being English and the other Japanese, both The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum by John Martin and The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai display their theme of natural disaster in very similar ways. In Hokusais painting, the theme of natural disasters is displayed by the large wave crashing down upon humans who are cowering down in their boats unable to do anything to stop it. Similarly Martins painting also displays the theme of natural disaster with not water, but magma that is seen crashing down on the humans below, who are also cowering and bracing for an impact they cannot prevent. In contrast however, the two paintings have noticeable differences too. According to Harris (2015), "Hokusai had a personal fascination with Mount Fuji" and his series wasn't meant to be about natural disasters. On the other hand, Martins painting was made specifically to depict the destruction of a natural disaster, as Landow says in his article, "Martin contributed a painting of Pompeii's end. His The

4 Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum (c. 1821, University of Manchester) follows the lead of Jacob More's Mount Vesuvius in Eruption: The Last Days of Pompeii (1780, National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh)" (Landow 2016). Medium In The Great Wave, the artist, Hokusai created this print of a massive tsunami crashing down on the boats full of fishermen in the sea. This wave was just one of his ways of showing different perspective views of the famous Mt. Fuji. He made it in such a way where the wave almost appears to have claws reaching out to show how menacing and ferocious the sea can be. The work used a new method which allowed them to be printed and also he was one of the first in japan to use a new dye, which made the deep blue color known as Prussian blue which was imported from Europe despite restricted trade (Harris 2015). In The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the artist John Martin uses a new style of a lowered viewpoint of the eruption, he angles the viewers perspective to magnify the size and power of the volcano (Landow 2016). Under the massive volcano are pictured the townspeople cowering in fear as anyone would while experiencing a natural event of this magnitude. These techniques that are used truly help the viewers see the meaning as well as help them connect the similar themes in both of these incredible works. Thesis Statement Even though these works were created in different times, in completely opposite cultures, The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum and The Great Wave display the theme of natural disasters with their fierce imagery of nature. Audience

5 The ideal audience for my presentation would probably be storm chasers, people who are thrilled by the destruction of nature. This could also be appealing to meteorologists or people who study these events. These people could develop a sense of belonging through history knowing others were as fascinated with these events as they are. Message To tailor my presentation to my audience so that it will be both relatable and understandable, I will try to connect my presentation to real experiences and events that connect to my theme of natural disasters. Recent events that could connect to people on a real level would be things such as the wildfires in California and the hurricanes that have hit the gulf in recent years. I will be respectful of the lives lost in these events and Tailor my presentation in a professional manner. These edits including personal experience should be made to not only educate but sympathize with these events.

6 References Hiroe Nirei. (2012, January 06). A brief history of 'The Great Wave': Japan's most famous artwork. https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/hokusai-s-great-wave/ Leila Anne Harris. (2015). Under the wave off kanagawa (the Great WAVE) by Hokusai (article). (n.d.). https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/south-east-seasia/japan-art/a/hokusai-under-the-wave-off-kanagawa-the-great-wave George P. Landow. (2013). "The destruction of Pompeii and herculaneum" by John Martin. (2016). http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/martin/paintings/1.html...