Renowned for his evocative renderings of light, mist, and glowing colour, visionary artist Yoshida Hiroshi (Japanese, 1876–1950) gathered his subject matter from his travels across the Americas, Europe, north Africa, and Asia. Back in his studio, he translated his sketches into the medium of polychrome woodblock printing — an artform perfected over 200 years of Japanese history.

Drawing from The Ringling’s extensive holdings and local private collections, this exhibition focuses on Yoshida’s betsu-zuri or “separate printings,” referring to multiple color versions of single designs. Yoshida, or an artisan working under his close supervision, would print a single design using the same set of wooden printing blocks in different palettes of color and textures to suggest varying times of the day, climactic conditions, and emotional states. Further variation may result from the colorants being prepared, applied, and printed by hand, the paper, sizing treatments, moisture levels, and wear sustained by the blocks. Although a single design may be produced in the hundreds, each impression is unique.

Highlights of the exhibition include seven versions of Acropolis (1925) depicting Athens’s ancient citadel in daylight and under the night sky. Also on view are rare trial printings bearing Yoshida’s annotations, a preparatory drawing, and a process set of the print Lugano that demonstrates over 40 steps required to complete this single design. These give visitors a rare and memorable opportunity to learn about Yoshida’s exacting process.

Image: Yoshida Hiroshi, Japanese, 1876 – 1950
Lugano, from the series Europe, 1925
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Gift of Charles and Robyn Citrin, 2016, SN11557.122