<b>MT RAINIER</b> / Hiroshi Yoshida1925<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

Hiroshi Yoshida started his career as an oil and watercolor painter. He traveled to the US as early as 1899 and returned multiple times to exhibit his artwork as well as sightsee.  An avid outdoorsman and hiker, Yoshida took full advantage of his travels and painted the important natural treasures he visited—all executed in the field, utilizing the technique of plein air painting. Yoshida’s six woodblock prints from his North American series were all conceived on one of his early travels and produced from oil or watercolor paintings done on site which account for the strong realism in the designs, a quality rarely encountered in Japanese prints.

Mount Rainier is the highest mountain of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, and the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a large active stratovolcano located 59 miles south-southeast of Seattle, in the Mount Rainier National Park. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of 14,411 ft. With Yoshida’s interest in mountaineering, it’s no surprise we find this dramatic design among his North American prints.

Connoisseur's Note

The dramatic subject rendered in serene earth tones with a quiet reflecting pool has everything one would want in a print. The composition is realistic—Mt. Rainier is depicted as you would find it if you see it on a hiking trail, but the style is Yoshida’s own blend of watercolor and oil painting translated into the language of woodblock prints. There is a robust market for prints with US designs extending beyond the confines of the genre of Japanese prints.

This impression is an excellent example of the design. Exhibiting fresh, untouched colors, the print looks like it could have been created today. This print features Yoshida’s “Jizuri seal,” as well as a brush and pencil signature, indicating it was produced under his strict supervision. This particular impression exhibits wonderful bokashi (color gradation) through the design and the white portion of the mountain’s summit is embossed. As a stunning work in excellent condition with a much larger collecting base, it’s no surprise that Mount Rainier is one of Yoshida’s most sought-after works.