Title : Ghat in Benares

Artist : Yoshida Hiroshi

Date : 1931

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Source : Japanese Art Open Database
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Description : Hiroshi Yoshida Original Jizuri Woodblock - 1931 Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950) India and South East Asia Series. In 1930 Hiroshi Yoshida undertook a trip to Asia with the specific intention of sketching the Taj Mahal. By its end, the trip had yielded a veritable treasure trove of 32 woodblock subjects, of which this print is one. This print is dated Showa 6 (1931) in the left-hand margin, and is titled and signed by the artist in pencil in English in the bottom margin. The print is additionally signed in Japanese in black sumi ink, and bears the red "Yoshida" seal in the bottom right-hand corner. It is titled "Ghat in Benares" or Varanasi as it is known in India. The print is numbered 153 in the ABE catalogue of "The Complete Woodblock Prints of Hiroshi Yoshida". (Please look at our other listings for a copy of this invaluable reference book for the Yoshida collector). The dimensions of the image are 24.8cm (H) x 37.6cm (W). In the upper left-hand margin, the print bears the exclusive Jizuri or "self printed" seal, indicating that the production of the print was overseen and approved by the artist himself. The print has a vertical centre fold which is only noticeable upon very close inspection. Two pin-sized drying holes, top-left and top-right have been repaired. These repairs are only noticable upon close inspection, but are nevertheless worthy of mention. There is evidence of mat burn, visible about 1cm inside the left-hand margin (see picture), and about 3mm inside the top margin. No mat burn is detectable along the bottom or right-hand margins. This mat burn detracts only slightly from what is a truly outstanding woodblock. The colour used in the print truly conveys the heat and brightness of the sun, and the reflections of people and buildings on the glassy surface of the water are superbly impressionistic.

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