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The Print:

Movement, 1957, Edition of 15, featuring dynamic, swirling lines and organic shapes in muted tones of black, grey, brown, with a contrasting reddish-orange accent, is not only an early abstract design, but one of the oversized works (33 3/8 x 17 ¼ inches).  It is illustrated at plate 312 of Yoshida Toshi Catalogue Raisonné, and was acquired directly from one of the artist’s sons.

The Artist: 

Toshi Yoshida (1911-1995) was the oldest son of Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950) and Fujio Yoshida (1887-1987). Toshi first studied the techniques of woodblock printing in his father’s studio, and the subject matter of his earlier prints is reminiscent of his father’s work. However, there were personality and stylistic differences between Toshi and his father, and this comes through in their artwork. Following his father’s death in 1950, he began experimenting with abstract art, breaking from the traditional landscape style of his family. This move was influenced by his brother Hodaka Yoshida, who was also experimenting with abstract art. Toshi’s abstract works were also a conscious effort to align with international postwar modernism, though at the time, they did not sell as successfully as his representational works.

The Historical Context:

Toshi Yoshida’s early abstract prints stood out due to their origins in the highly refined, traditional moku-hanga process, applying this ancient technique to a modern, non-representational visual language that was distinct from the dominant New York School style of the 1950s. Overall, works from this period are characterized by flowing, organic lines and a sense of movement, often using natural or subdued colors.

His later abstract works, particularly from the 1960s, maintained the technical precision of woodblock printing but evolved to incorporate influences from international modern art movements like Expressionism and Pop Art, incorporating elements of contemporary graphic design.  He also continued to explore size in his works, with the majority of the prints from the 1960s being larger than the standard 14 ½ x 9 ½ inches.  

Toshi continued to produce abstract works in the 1970s. Some of these works had a political message, especially Should Not Use, an abstract mushroom cloud, which was dedicated to the victims of the Hiroshima bombings, and the companion print, Before That, an idyllic view of the sun on the horizon.

Toshi Yoshida’s abstract works are included in many major and regional museum collections, including  Art Institute of Chicago, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Allen Memorial Art Museum (Oberlin College), The British Museum and The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.