MKK

Hmmmmm . . .

These are wonderful.

I'm recycling the link for my blog.

The fascinating difference is that she seemed to go more for the traditional approach, where I can see a lot of Art Nouveau influence in these, especially the figures in the Morning Mist in Taj Mahal #5 print.

Cool stuff, and thx!

Cheers,
Tom

I guess now we know. Many thanks!

Oh, and Tom: There's some Lillian May Miller stuff here. Not the best scans, of course, but a nice introduction nonetheless.

Not quite synchronicity, but an odd connection.

Cheers,
Tom

Well, it depends on what part of the Smithsonian you're talking about. After consulting web pages for addresses and MapQuest for a map, I come to the conclusion in is a longish walk, maybe a mile, or a short cab ride from the WFC hotel to the Sackler/Freer galleries. The hotel is 400 NW and the galleries are 1200SW

MKK

It's an odd sensation to see renderings which are simultaneously artistic and so lifelike.

Yup, that's precisely the Jama Masjid; that's Varanasi, all right.

This moved me to check on Amazon and see if there was a collection of his woodblock prints.

Yes, but the $75 book is currently unavailable, and the used copy offered costs $575.

Checking Bookfinder quickly, there are two books that have his name in the title, one a monograph on him -- prices start around $70. The book of all his prints starts around $225. And that's 30 seconds of checking on one used book site -- I'll bet I could get those prices down by at least 20% with some digging.

Amazon charges very inflated prices for used books, and actually just searches the same sites you or I could then tacks on a multiplier.

Check Bookfinder.com, or abebooks.com, and really support independent booksellers.

Getting off the horse for a moment now....

Cheers,
Tom

I wonder why the different results?

Of course, if you're willing to wait until things come up on eBay, you'll likely get a much cheaper price....

Cheers,
Tom

I found the Kanchenjunga and Fuji prints especially breathtaking.

You have good taste (this is a euphemism for taste that matches my own, of course).

Yoshida is one of Donya's and my favorite artists, & we have a (small) wall full of them - though almost all are prints by his son, Toshi, except for Taj Mahal #4.

A Yoshida Toshi print that I saw at a friend's parent's house is directly the cause of our interest in Japan, and our visits there. It depicted a small but elaborate shrine flanked by two enormous dead-straight trees in a forest. I knew these weren't redwoods, and I decided that whereever that was, I wanted to go there.

So, we ended up in Nikko, Japan, home of the original 3 wise monkeys. It was worth it, and
we've returned there many times since.

There are several books about the Yoshida's - mostly Hiroshi, but also son Toshi and grandson (whose name I can't recall). There is also a book on the entire family. The women in the family were artists as well, and accompished ones.

If you like Yoshida and his style, there are other artists that I think you should look into, primarily Hasui; it may be easier to find information on him than on Yoshida. I can supply details on the Yoshida and Hasui books I have if you're interested.

There is a little Japanese antique place in Palo Alto that is a dealer in Yoshida prints, if you're ever in our area, though you'd probably have little problem finding them an Ronin in NYC.

Also, the museum I am aware of with the largest collection of Hasui, and perhaps Yoshida, is the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

So that was disappointing. On the other hand, the Cambodian Buddhist pieces on display in the Sackler were sublime. I could have stood there all day. And this lovely Romanesque Buddha head from Pakistan...mmm. Amazing.

Thanks to TNH for putting this quest in my head in the first place: though we did not achieve the Grail, we had fun trying.

So there's a whole clan of them? I have some happy catching-up to do. I'd already started to find prints by Hasui while hunting for YH's work, and you're right: I like it quite a lot.

What's Ronin? And what kind of trees do they have at the Nikko shrine?

Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Check. I'll let Boskone programming know that I'm going to be off on an expedition during part of the convention.

Andrew, I'm glad you had such a good time at the Freer and Sackler galleries. I still wish I could see those prints in person.

Dave, I believe I know the kind of art you're talking about -- though it hasn't been cheaper to reproduce than color photography since your granny's day.

When reduced in size and stripped of its fine resolution, Yoshida Hiroshi's work does somewhat resemble that stuff. I'll argue that his line, compositions, and color choices are much superior to it, even in these online postage-stamp versions. But if you keep an eye on the Freer and Sackler galleries' comments about how many impressions he used per print, it becomes evident that his finished prints were nothing like the flattish color printing you have in mind.

Briefly: Ronin is a gallery in NYC that specializes in Japanese woodblock prints. Look for their catalog on the web.

The trees in Nikko are Japanese cedar, or cryptomeria. Try searching for prints with that in the title, and you'll find some amazing prints.