NATURE VS. CULTURE
“The Great Wave off Kanagawa”, by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai, is a woodblock print from 1831.
It depicts three boats, moving through a storm, with a particular large wave forming a spiral in the centre of the image.
In the background, Mount Fiji is visible.
In art history, it is often highlighted due to its revolutionary use of Prussian blue, which changed Japanese prints forever.
It is also often referred to as the most famous artwork in Japanese history.
It is also famous for another reason. The “great wave” actually depicts a tsunami (which is Japanese for “harbour wave”).
A tsunami is a series of waves, caused by the displacement of a large volume of water.
The reason for this is often an earthquake or other underwater eruptions.
Tsunamis and earthquakes remind us of how vulnerable life is.
With almost no warning, and in a matter of seconds, life can change forever.
In 1755, the Great Lisbon earthquake all but destroyed the city.
At around 09.40 am on the morning of Saturday November 1st – All Saints Day – the earthquake, followed by subsequent fires and a tsunami, killed almost 50,000 people, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in history.
Its political effects disrupted the Portuguese Empire and even inspired major developments in theodicy, as well as led to the birth of modern seismology.
Nature’s forces thus changed not only the individual destinies of the people who lived and died, but also affected political, cultural, and religious history.
The catastrophe destroyed eighty-five percent of the buildings, including the Convento de Ordem do Carmo (Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel).
The monastery was founded in 1389 and was significantly damaged by the 1755 earthquake. In the centuries to come, many repairs were carried out, but the church was never completely rebuilt.
In 1969, another earthquake struck and once again damaged the structure, creating its contemporary structure.
Today, the ruins remind its visitors that culture is always dependent on the forces of nature. Man may make plans, but nature can, at any point in time, interfere and change the direction of history.
In a way, the ruins show nature and culture are engaged in a continuous dialogue, creating the context in which we live out our lives, but it also reminds us that we as humans are not above or outside of nature, but part of it.
Photographed at Convento de Ordem do Carmo / Lisbon
