Yoshida, Hiroshi (1876 - 1950 )
Hiroshi Yoshida was a leading artist of the shin hanga, or “new print" movement known for his landscapes of Japan and beyond. Born in 1876, 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, Hiroshi Yoshida turned to woodblock printmaking upon learning of the Western world’s infatuation with ukiyo-e.
Following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, Hiroshi 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. Yoshida oversaw each step of the woodblock printing process—from design to publication. His lifetime prints are signed “Hiroshi Yoshida” in pencil and marked with a jizuri (self-printed) seal outside of the margin. His career was temporarily interrupted by his sojourn as a war correspondent in Manchuria during the World War II. Although he designed his last woodblock print in 1946, Yoshida continued to paint with oils and watercolors up until his death in 1950.
Modern Art | Modern Japanese Prints and Paintings
The 20th century saw the emergence of two modern Japanese print movements: Shin Hanga, or “new prints,” and Sosaku Hanga, or “creative prints.” Both sought an identity somewhere between centuries of rich cultural tradition and modern global character. With growing realism, changing techniques, and a newfound international audience, the Shin Hanga movement portrayed familiar Japanese themes through modern eyes. From sensual beauties and expressive actors, to atmospheric landscapes and sensitive nature studies, the principal genres of ukiyo-e reasserted themselves with renewed vigor. The Sosaku Hanga movement emphasized the participation of the artist in every aspect of production. From carving to printing, modern Japanese printmaking adopted a more spontaneous, expressive attitude through the artistic explorations of this movement. Ranging from figural to abstract, Sosaku Hanga flourished after WWII. Explore Ronin Gallery's selection of modern prints and paintings below.
