<b>REFLECTION LAKE ON MOUNT RAINIER</b> / Hiroshi Yoshida1928<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

Hiroshi Yoshida started his career as an oil and watercolor painter. He traveled to the U.S. as early as 1899 and returned multiple times to exhibit his artwork and to sightsee. Being 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. The vast majority of Yoshida’s woodblock prints depicting North American subjects were conceived on one of his early travels and produced from oil or watercolor paintings done onsite, which accounts for the strong realism in the designs, a quality rarely encountered in Japanese prints.

In 1928, Yoshida issued a group of ten smaller format woodblock prints. The majority of the works showcased foreign destinations and three featured U.S. designs. This charming print depicts Mt. Rainier as one would encounter the mountain at a vista near the start of a hiking trail. The design is a revisit to this subject, as he produced a double oban size work of “Mount Rainier” in 1925. In this design, the mountain is seen with a small body of water that reflects the majestic peak. Though the diminutive size of the work is a slight departure for the artist, Yoshida’s mastery of the medium is evident as the design breaks free from its confines and presents the viewer with a breathtaking view that has a potency well beyond its size.

Connoisseur's Note

All ten of Yoshida’s smaller 1928 prints were only produced during the artist’s lifetime. This design was never issued with a jizuri seal but was executed under the artist’s strict supervision. Some impressions of this design bear pencil signatures, others lack signatures altogether, while others have stamped signatures in the image, as is the case with this impression.

There is a robust market for prints of U.S. designs extending beyond the collecting genre of Japanese prints. As a stunning early 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 subjects.