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Art, in relation.

Two ways into blue

Compare a woodblock print and a cyanotype. A shared colour opens a question about different processes.

An authored path / 5 works

What changes when blue is printed from wood, exposed by light, dyed into cotton, or brushed in oil?

These comparisons follow blue in the displayed images. Each stop keeps its own material, source and history.

Explore this description in the catalogue →
  1. A wave curls over three long boats; Mount Fuji sits small beneath its arc.
    Under the Wave off KanagawaKatsushika Hokusai · ca. 1830–32The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0
    Image & source
    A wave curls over three long boats; Mount Fuji sits small beneath its arc.

    Print / Source record

    Under the Wave off Kanagawa

    Read the catalogue and evidence →
    Maker
    Katsushika Hokusai
    Date
    ca. 1830–32
    Medium
    Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
    Collection
    The Metropolitan Museum of Art
    Accession
    JP1847
    Credit
    H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
    Rights
    Public domain · CC0

    Public domain · CC0. Resized and converted to WebP; no recoloring. Homepage details may be cropped; work record presents the full image. Editorial views may show a detail.

    Institution’s full-resolution image ↗Museum reuse policy ↗Original museum record ↗Read the CC0 dedication ↗

    01 / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Look, then compare

    Under the Wave off Kanagawa

    Look for the darkest blue in the trough and the paler blue near the crest in The Met’s impression.

    Artologium interpretation · developed with AI assistance

    Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
    Katsushika Hokusai · ca. 1830–32

    Read the descriptions and evidence →Compare with the next work →
  2. A color woodblock print of a large crashing wave, looms over two narrow boats full of people. Mt Fuji in the background. There is a faint peach colored sky.
    Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave, from the series "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)"Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎 Japanese, 1760-1849 · 1830/33The Art Institute of Chicago · CC0
    Image & source
    A color woodblock print of a large crashing wave, looms over two narrow boats full of people. Mt Fuji in the background. There is a faint peach colored sky.

    Print / Source record

    Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave, from the series "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)"

    Read the catalogue and evidence →
    Maker
    Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎 Japanese, 1760-1849
    Date
    1830/33
    Medium
    Color woodblock print; oban
    Collection
    The Art Institute of Chicago
    Accession
    1928.1086
    Credit
    Clarence Buckingham Collection
    Rights
    Public domain · CC0

    Public domain · CC0. Unchanged copy of the institution’s verified web image; smaller responsive JPEGs are resized derivatives. Full-resolution image remains linked to the institution. Editorial views may show a detail.

    Institution’s full-resolution image ↗Museum reuse policy ↗

    Institutional rights designation checked 2026-10-17. Catalogue descriptions are normalized from source data; visual interpretation may be unassessed.

    Original museum record ↗Read the CC0 dedication ↗

    02 / The Art Institute of Chicago / Look, then compare

    Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave, from the series "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)"

    Now look at Chicago’s impression of the same design. Where do the blue passages feel denser or softer in this photograph?

    Artologium interpretation · developed with AI assistance

    Color woodblock print; oban
    Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎 Japanese, 1760-1849 · 1830/33

    Read the descriptions and evidence →Compare with the next work →
  3. Pale branching leaves and stems appear against a deep cyanotype blue.
    Spiraea aruncus (Tyrol)Anna Atkins · 1851–54The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0
    Image & source
    Pale branching leaves and stems appear against a deep cyanotype blue.

    Photography / Source record

    Spiraea aruncus (Tyrol)

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    Maker
    Anna Atkins
    Date
    1851–54
    Medium
    Cyanotype
    Collection
    The Metropolitan Museum of Art
    Accession
    2004.172
    Credit
    Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2004
    Rights
    Public domain · CC0

    Public domain · CC0. Resized and converted to WebP; no recoloring. Homepage details may be cropped; work record presents the full image. Editorial views may show a detail.

    Institution’s full-resolution image ↗Museum reuse policy ↗Original museum record ↗Read the CC0 dedication ↗

    03 / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Look, then compare

    Spiraea aruncus (Tyrol)

    Here blue is the ground itself, formed by the cyanotype process around the plant’s shadow.

    Artologium interpretation · developed with AI assistance

    Cyanotype
    Anna Atkins · 1851–54

    Read the descriptions and evidence →Compare with the next work →
  4. Oil painting
    Nocturne: Blue and Silver--BognorJames McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) · 1871-1876National Museum of Asian Art · CC0
    Image & source
    Oil painting

    Painting / Source record

    Nocturne: Blue and Silver--Bognor

    Read the catalogue and evidence →
    Maker
    James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
    Date
    1871-1876
    Medium
    Oil on canvas
    Collection
    National Museum of Asian Art
    Accession
    F1906.103a-b
    Credit
    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
    Rights
    Public domain · CC0

    Public domain · CC0. Unchanged copy of the institution’s verified web image; smaller responsive JPEGs are resized derivatives. Full-resolution image remains linked to the institution. Editorial views may show a detail.

    Institution’s full-resolution image ↗Museum reuse policy ↗

    Institutional rights designation checked 2026-10-21. Catalogue descriptions are normalized from source data; visual interpretation may be unassessed.

    Original museum record ↗Read the CC0 dedication ↗

    04 / National Museum of Asian Art / Look, then compare

    Nocturne: Blue and Silver--Bognor

    Watch how Whistler’s thin oil washes merge sea and night sky into a single blue-silver atmosphere at the National Museum of Asian Art.

    Artologium interpretation · developed with AI assistance

    Oil on canvas
    James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) · 1871-1876

    Read the descriptions and evidence →Compare with the next work →
  5. DITES MERCI
    Dites MerciMeillier et Cie · ca. 1798Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum · CC0
    Image & source
    DITES MERCI

    Textile / Source record

    Dites Merci

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    Maker
    Meillier et Cie
    Date
    ca. 1798
    Medium
    Medium: cotton Technique: printed by engraved copper plate on plain weave
    Collection
    Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
    Accession
    1943-43-12-a/d
    Credit
    Gift of W. and J. Sloane
    Rights
    Public domain · CC0

    Public domain · CC0. Unchanged copy of the institution’s verified web image; smaller responsive JPEGs are resized derivatives. Full-resolution image remains linked to the institution. Editorial views may show a detail.

    Institution’s full-resolution image ↗Museum reuse policy ↗

    Institutional rights designation checked 2026-10-21. Catalogue descriptions are normalized from source data; visual interpretation may be unassessed.

    Original museum record ↗Read the CC0 dedication ↗

    05 / Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum / Look, then compare

    Dites Merci

    Find the crisp blue accents printed onto cotton in Raoul Dufy’s textile sample at Cooper Hewitt.

    Artologium interpretation · developed with AI assistance

    Medium: cotton Technique: printed by engraved copper plate on plain weave
    Meillier et Cie · ca. 1798

    Read the descriptions and evidence →

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