Shocked art fans all say the same thing after seeing the original ‘Great Wave’ painting

Art lovers have been left stunned after discovering the real size of a hugely popular creative artwork.

After a visit to the Montreal Art Museum, which has currently housed the Great Wave of Kanagawa – a Woodblock print by the Japanese artist Hokusai – X User Callan shared the image online.

The post quickly caused a stir, shocked with fans from all over the world after realizing the true size of the original piece from the 1830s.

One of the 36 in a series of logs entitled Sixty Views of Mount Fuji, the panel is much smaller than many members of the audience had come to believe.

“Am I stupid or did anyone else think that this piece was much bigger?” asked Callan.

Found as a map in numerous gift shops, a poster in countless rooms and even tension of duvet covers and luxury throws, the print is known to both art lovers and those that are not interested in artworks.

But like many popular artworks such as Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Crows or the Mona Lisa, the real thing can sometimes be overwhelming.

And it is not because the artwork is not beautiful, but because it is so different in scale then usually appears in replicas and reprints.

After a visit to the famous print, this woman was confused by the smaller than expected size

The Great Gulf of Kanagawa (photo) is a coloring wooden print by Hokusai made in 1830

“Very cool to see these details up close, anyway!” Callan went on.

With 14,000 likes and hundreds of reactions, many who viewed the post were surprised in the same way.

One person wrote: “I absolutely assumed it was bigger!” Another repeated the sentiment and said: ‘I also saw this personally, but at that moment I didn’t think about it.

“We have projected or printed it on large walls and I think we therefore imagine that the original is bigger?”

One person argued that the precise nature of the details will be increased the piece.

“There are so many large reproductions of it,” wrote Michael Frank. “It is proof of how clean and elegant the work is.”

Many commentators who had also seen the original print shared their similar experiences

And another chimed in: ‘I was also shocked when I saw it personally. I think we are used to seeing poster format versions. ‘

However, those who are familiar with wooden prints pointed out that the scale is not unusual for the medium and the genre.

In fact, the piece – emblematic for the Ukiyo -e -style – perhaps actually is the bigger ending for its kind.

One of the most famous pieces of Japanese art in history, the dimensions are 24.6 cm x 36.5 cm – or 9.7 inch x 14.4 in.

The timeless image has previously been described as ‘perhaps the most reproduced image in the history of all art’, which explains why viewers can have prejudices about their appearance.

In the context of wooden prints, ‘Oban’ refers to pieces about 10 by 15 inches.

A commentator pointed to it: “This is the standard size for Ukiyo-E-prints, so yes, you’re stupid.”

Others in the responses shared their experiences to see their favorite artworks personally – only to realize that they were much larger or smaller than expected.

The persistence of the memory by Salavdor Dali is another classic that surprises viewers with his small scale (photo)

And portraits such as Van Gogh’s (photo) and the Mona Lisa – as often replicated – are not as big as art fans can suspect

“Mona Lisa and Van Gogh’s self -portrait are also super small,” wrote one. “It’s funny how such small paintings have enormous consequences.”

Other paintings that are deceptively small at the first view are the creation of man by Michelangelo and the persistence of the memory by Salvador Dali.