Toshi Yoshida (1911 - 1995)

Early life

Toshi Yoshida was the son of Hiroshi Yoshida, one of the most famous woodblock print artists of the twentieth century. He learned woodblock printmaking as an apprentice in his family's studio.

Woodblock printing

Toshi Yoshida's early woodblocks reflect the shin-hanga landscape tradition, portraying the beautiful countryside and everyday life in Japan in soft colors and masterful compositions.

After his father's death in 1950, Toshi Yoshida began creating abstract woodblocks, completing nearly 300 abstract designs. These works feature bold, abstract shapes, and lines, complemented by sophisticated color and wonderful textures. These dramatic prints have a distinctly modern, graphic appeal, and show another side of Toshi's amazing creativity.

During the 1980s, Toshi's travels in Africa inspired him to create many woodblock prints of the animals he saw there, including lions, tigers, zebras, and elephants. His animal prints are beautifully drawn and exquisitely detailed, using incredibly fine line work to create the textures of fur, hide, and grass.