Читать книгу Collecting Modern Japanese Prints - Norman Tolman - Страница 3

(Frontispiece). Yoshida Hiroshi (1876-1950). Titled in the left margin in Japanese Yamanaka Mura (Yamanaka Village), titled in English Fuji-san from Yamanaka. Also in the left margin in Japanese jizuri (self-printed), Shown jūni-nen (Showa 12 [1937]), woodblock, 25x37.8 cm. Signed Hiroshi Yoshida, sealed in kanji Hiroshi.

From a wide world of outstanding artists with an extensive range of techniques and subject matter, it is difficult to select one to set the tone for book. We felt, however, that Yoshida Hiroshi would be eminently suitable.

Yoshida is a pivotal figure between the eras of ukiyo-e (Japan's antique woodblock prints) and Modern creative prints, having had a foot in both worlds. Like the older generation of ukiyo-e artists, he chose to emphasize the medium of the woodblock and follow the convention of having an artisan carver and printer to effect his designs. Also like the earlier artists, he often used landscapes as subject matter. From the creative-print artists at the beginning of the twentieth century he borrowed an interest in the Western art aesthetic, to the extent that he traveled to Europe, Africa, and America twice, where he was influential in arranging exhibitions of works of the shin-hanga (new print) movement, of which he was so much a part. This book begins from around the time of his death.

In addition, it is said that no matter what theme or motif a Japanese artist pursues, at some time in his career he inevitably presents his view of Mount Fuji, which has long served as an inspiration for Japanese artists. Mount Fuji is the ultimate symbol of Japan and seems to us to serve well as the proper starting point for a venture into the realm of the Japanese print.