Yoshida Hiroshi: A Japanese artist in India: Woodblock prints from the Lahiri Collection

Book

In 1930, the Japanese artist Yoshida Hiroshi (1876–1950) spent several months travelling in India and Southeast Asia. After his return to Japan he produced a series of 32 woodblock prints inspired by his travels. A leading figure in the ‘shin-hanga’ (new print) movement, which contributed to the renewal of Japanese printmaking after the end of the Meiji era (1912), Yoshida first trained in the Western oil painting tradition. Using traditional Japanese printing techniques but remaining closely involved with all stages of the print process unlike earlier ukiyo-e artists, he produced sophisticated prints with a translucent quality reminiscent of watercolours. The prints of iconic Indian views, reminiscent of watercolour paintings, demonstrate his technical sophistication and, his fascination with depicting light, water, its reflections and movement. The book, which accompanied an exhibition held at the Ashmolean Museum in June 2015, illustrates the entire series, drawn almost entirely from the collection of Avijit and Chobi Lahiri. It discusses the works within the context of the changing world of Japanese prints in the early twentieth century, travelling artists’ depictions of India and the woodblock printmaking techniques involved, with contributions from the collector, Professor Avijit Lahiri and from Yoshida’s grandson, the print artist Yoshida Tsukasa.

Authors: Pollard, C; Kumbera Landrus, M

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Reviewed (other)
• Publisher: Ashmolean Museum
• Publication date: 2015-01-01
• Language: English
• Keywords: artists