Hiroshi Yoshida woodblock print Evening in Nara

Hiroshi Yoshida (Japanese, 1876-1950)Evening in Nara woodblock print, signed l.r., from the series “Kansai District” sheet measures approximately: 10 5/8" W x 16 1/4" Hmat measures approximately: 18 3/8" W x 23 5/8" H Please note that shipping charges are inclusive of insurance, payment processing (if paying by check or cash, processing fee will be refunded) and carrier fees. If local pickup is selected and if applicable, payment processing fee will still be assessed and due. About Hiroshi Yoshida Hiroshi Yoshida is known as a Western-style painter and printmaker. Born in Kurume in 1876, he lived and worked in Tokyo. He first painted landscapes in oil, but earned early fame as a watercolorist. He developed an interest in printmaking in 1920 and self-printed all of his work excepting his first seven prints. His early printwork depicted views of Swiss and American landscapes. He began his artistic training with his adoptive father in Kurume, Fukuoka prefecture. Around the age of twenty, he left Kurume to study with Soritsu Tamura in Kyoto, subsequently moving to Tokyo and the tutelage of Shotaro Koyama. Yoshida studied Western-style painting, winning many exhibition prizes and making several trips to the United States, Europe and North Africa selling his watercolors and oil paintings. In 1902, he played a leading role in the organization of the Meiji Fine Arts Society into the Pacific Painting Association. His work was featured in the exhibitions of the state-sponsored Bunten and Teiten. While highly successful as an oil painter and watercolor artist, Yoshida turned to woodblock printmaking upon learning of the Western world’s infatuation with ukiyo-e. Following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, Yoshida embarked on a tour of the United States and Europe, painting and selling his work. When he returned to Japan in 1925, he started his own workshop, specializing in landscapes inspired both by his native country and his travels abroad. Yoshida oversaw each step of the woodblock printing process—from design to publication. Yoshida's career was temporarily interrupted by his sojourn as a war correspondent in Manchuria during the Pacific War. Although he designed his last woodblock print in 1946, Yoshida continued to paint with oils and watercolors up until his death in 1950. Yoshida was widely traveled and knowledgeable of Western aesthetics, yet maintained an allegiance to traditional Japanese techniques and traditions. Attracted by the calmer moments of nature, his woodblock prints breathe coolness, invite meditation, and set a soft, peaceful mood.