<b>SAILING BOAT, MORNING</b> / Hiroshi Yoshida1926$30,000</em>

Details

A sailboat out in the Sea of Japan is greeted by the break of day, as its calm waters erupt in light and shadow, broadcasting the boat’s reflection in silhouette below. The junk’s deployed sails are filled with an intricate kaleidoscope of morning light, propelling the design forward and easily catching the eye of the viewer. The distant shore in the background is barely discernable as the dazzling array of sunlight moves across the entire surface of the design.

Fascinated by light, Hiroshi Yoshida’s Sailing Boat, Morning, is a study of light. Much in the tradition of Monet’s Haystacks, Yoshida produced six different finished prints, all sharing the exact printing blocks but inked with differing colors, which aimed at showcasing the same subject at differing times of the day. This series was a smashing success for the young artist. The series was one of the highlights of the famed Toledo exhibition of 1930 and garnered him the attention and acclamation of both collectors and critics alike at a critical time, thus propelling his career forward and helping establish Yoshida as one of the top landscape artists of the Shin Hanga movement.

Connoisseur's Note

This early work bears the brown jizuri seal with the artist's hand-written title and signature in pencil. The print is in excellent condition with fresh and vivid colors. The print has faint toning to the front margins and on the reverse.

Despite the success of the Sailing Boat designs, the artist did not produce these prints in large quantities. The expense associated with the larger size of the design so early on in his career kept production at a minimum. This design is among the most desirable from the sailboat series and an icon of Shin Hanga.