Details

In this breathtaking composition, Toshi Yoshida turns his gaze to the African continent, presenting the towering majesty of Mount Kilimanjaro at dawn. A rare Artist’s Proof, this print captures the moment when the mountain’s snow-capped crown emerges in rosy hues above the veils of morning mist, towering silently over the Tanzanian plains. The light ascends in gradation—from golden blush to violet blue—rendered with the artist’s signature subtlety through layered bokashi shading.

In the foreground, a quiet procession of wildlife—elephants, antelope, zebra, and buffalo—moves across the shadowed grassland. Their presence is not posed but naturally integrated, adding a hushed vitality to the composition. The flat expanse of the savanna contrasts with the monumental calm of the mountain, heightening the sense of spatial and spiritual grandeur. Yoshida’s mastery of atmosphere and balance reveals itself in every element, from the drifting clouds to the delicate silhouettes of acacia trees.

Connoisseur's Note

Kilimanjaro, Morning exemplifies Toshi Yoshida’s ability to translate foreign landscapes into the vocabulary of Japanese woodblock aesthetics, finding resonance between the grandeur of nature and the quietude of daily life. Though the setting is East African, the composition is deeply informed by Japanese artistic sensibilities—evident in its stillness, tonal harmony, and reverence for the unspoken.

The print’s sparse human absence and contemplative scale allow nature to become the protagonist. Kilimanjaro, bathed in light yet unmoving, stands as both mountain and metaphor—a presence that endures beyond the motion of the creatures below.

This work is a rare AP impression with a stronger coloration than the standard edition; the print is signed by the artist in pencil in the lower margin.