Details

Two sailing boats move out toward the sea as they pass a snow-filled rocky shore. Further up and far beyond are more sailing vessels in silhouette as they move further out toward the sea. The design is immediately recognizable as the junk’s old-fashioned sails quickly recall the artist’s most notable design: Sailing Boats (the Night design is offered here.

In this stunning sumi ink on silk work, the artist clearly invokes his well-known design but alters it to fit this format. The sumi brushwork is confident and spontaneous while varying tonalities of gray throughout the work provide it depth and animate the composition. Of particular note is how the artist used varying tonalities of gray to suggest the fluidity of the sea as well suggest the frigidity of the water that may perhaps be mixed with snow or ice. The composition is charming and adds a further context, now with a seasonal attribution, to Yoshida’s most celebrated design.

Connoisseur's Note

Original works by the artist are quite rare. Further still, Hiroshi Yoshida print collectors have now turned to the artist’s original works to fill out their collections. Consequently, Yoshida's paintings have become quite scarce in the marketplace. When they do emerge, they command twice to three times the amount they were selling for only a couple of years ago.

This large-scale sumi on silk painting is in excellent condition and is signed in the artist’s distinct signature and seal at the lower left.