Posts Tagged 'Japanese printmaking'

Japanese Printmaking Family Visits the DMFA

Fujio, Hodaka, and Chizuko Yoshida

For three generations, the Yoshida family has produced woodblock print artists integral to major 20th-century Japanese print movements. Fujio, Hodaka, and Chizuko Yoshida arrived in Dallas on April 25, 1957. Hodaka; his wife, Chizuko; and his mother, Fujio, represent two generations of the Yoshida family of artists and printmakers active from the 19th century to the present. The trio’s Dallas engagement included lecture demonstrations of woodblock printmaking at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, the Art Club of McKinney, the Fort Worth Art Center, and TSCW in Denton.

A small exhibition of 30 prints by the Yoshida family were also on view and for sale during their visit. In the top right of the photo, you can see one of Hodaka Yoshida’s prints that was acquired by the DMFA from the exhibition.

Hodaka Yoshida, Ancient People B, 1956, woodcut, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase, 1957.17

Hodaka Yoshida’s work was completely abstract. He first worked in oils but didn’t start making prints until 1950, though he was steeped in the technique since he was a child. He carved his own blocks and printed his own works from the beginning. Hodaka’s focus on abstraction was a great departure from the style of his father, Hiroshi, a prominent figure in modern Japanese prints who is well known for his landscapes. The DMA’s collection includes 64 prints by Hiroshi Yoshida.

Photo from Dallas Morning News article

The Dallas Morning News article on the trio’s Dallas engagement describes Hodaka (1926-1995) as teaching at the University of Oregon, having previously taught at the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Hawaii. Though not noted in the article, Fujio and Chizuko were also accomplished artists and printmakers.

Fujio (1887–1987) was the first female artist in the Yoshida family. Like many of the artists in the family, she began in watercolors and oils, exhibiting with her husband, Hiroshi, on their travels to the United States in the early 20th century. After her husband died, she became more influenced by Hodaka’s abstract art and was creating woodblock prints of abstract flowers by 1953.

Chizuko (1924–2017) began studying art at a young age. She met Hodaka through the Taiheyio artist group and shifted away from painting to printmaking after they were married. World travels with Hodaka and Fujio provided inspiration for her prints, which ranged from geometric abstraction to natural forms.

Toshi Yoshida, Shinjuku, date unknown, polychrome woodblock print, Dallas Museum of Art, the Abram C. Joseph and Ruth F. Ring Collection, gift of Miss Ruth F. Ring, 1985.86; Toshi Yoshida, Ishiyama Temple, date unknown, polychrome woodblock print, Dallas Museum of Art, the Abram C. Joseph and Ruth F. Ring Collection, gift of Miss Ruth F. Ring, 1985.87

Hodaka, Chizuko, and Fujio’s visit wasn’t the first introduction Dallas audiences had to the Yoshida family. Hodaka’s older brother Toshi also lectured on woodblock print techniques four years earlier, in 1953. During this trip to the United States, Mexico, London, and the Near East, Toshi gave lectures at 30 museums and galleries in 18 states. 

Hillary Bober is the Archivist at the DMA.

Creative Connections: West Meets East

This week the DMA’s Center for Creative Connections installed three prints by Hiroshi Yoshida, a significant figure in the history of Japanese woodblock printmaking. Yoshida was part of an early 20th-century movement that found renewed interest in traditional Japanese art forms and culture. This mindset was exemplified by his practice of the traditional ukiyo-e collaborative system (which relied on a division of labor for each step of the printmaking process), his subject matter, and his dedication to using locally sourced and crafted tools and materials. Hiroshi Yoshida was a prolific artist, but his legacy lives on beyond the art he created. He was also part of a family of printmakers. Beginning with his adoptive parents, the lineage is as follows:

yoshida family tree

Following Hiroshi’s death in 1950, his sons Toshi and Hodaka both began to experiment artistically. Toshi created prints of African wildlife, while Hodaka moved toward abstraction. Both artists are represented in the Museum’s collection, though their work is currently not on view.

Hodaka Yoshida, Ancient People B, 1956, woodcut, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase 1957.17; Toshi Yoshida, Ishiyama Temple, n.d., polychrome woodblock print, Dallas Museum of Art, the Abram C. Joseph and Ruth F. Ring Collection, gift of Miss Ruth F. Ring 1985.87

Hodaka Yoshida, Ancient People B, 1956, woodcut, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase, 1957.17; Toshi Yoshida, Ishiyama Temple, n.d., polychrome woodblock print, Dallas Museum of Art, the Abram C. Joseph and Ruth F. Ring Collection, gift of Miss Ruth F. Ring, 1985.87

In the early 1970s, Daryl Howard, a Texan living and teaching art at an overseas school in Tokyo, accepted an apprenticeship with Hodaka Yoshida. During her time studying with Hodaka, Howard learned traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking techniques and acquired a personal collection of prints and printmaking tools. Howard, who has since returned to Austin, has teamed up with the DMA to assist with educational initiatives related to the Hiroshi Yoshida prints. Howard has loaned a collection of traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking tools— including carving tools, brushes, paper, a baren, and a small printmakers table—to accompany the three prints.

Printmaking Tools

Daryl Howard (left) and a woodprint piece she created.

Daryl Howard (left) and a woodblock print she created

Meet Daryl Howard this May and learn more about the Yoshida family, Japanese woodblock printmaking, and her own art and process.

  • Friday, May 20
    • Late Night Art Bytes: Woodblock Printmaking
      8:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m., Tech Lab, C3
      Join artist Daryl Howard for this hands-on art-making experience and create an image in the technique of Japanese woodblock printmaking. Ink a block and pull your own print. Space is limited; sign up 30 minutes prior to workshop to reserve a spot.
      Included in Late Night ticket
    • Late Night Art Bytes: New Technology, Ancient Artform
      9:00–9:45 p.m., C3 Theater
      After 30 years of woodcarving, printmaker Daryl Howard has shifted to a new method to achieve the same end result. Hear her speak about how modern technology has affected the ancient art form of Japanese woodblock printmaking.
      Included in Late Night ticket
  • Saturday, May 21
  • Wednesday, May 25
    • Gallery Talk: West Meets East . . . A One-Year Journey with the Yoshida Family
      12:15 p.m., Meet at Visitors Service Desk
      Hiroshi Yoshida was the most accomplished Shin-Hanga woodblock printmaker of his time. Printmaker Daryl Howard will share a brief history of Japanese woodblock printmaking and the amazing Yoshida family.
      Included in free general admission

Jessica Fuentes is the Manager of Gallery Interpretation and the Center for Creative Connections at the DMA.


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