Review of the exhibition by Yvonne Guerrier, an artist, PSAD Friends committee.
Yoshida: Three generations of Japanese Printmaking
We know western artists, like Van Gogh and Whistler, were influenced by Japanese printmakers. This exhibition demonstrates how a family of Japanese printmakers, working between the 1920s and the current day, were influenced by western landscapes, techniques and art movements. The exhibition starts with the work of the grandfather, Yoshida Hiroshi, who produced traditional woodblock prints not just of Japanese landscapes but also of the Grand Canyon, the Sphinx of Giza and Venice. His wife, two sons and daughter-in-law pushed the boundaries of Japanese print making further, experimenting with abstraction, surrealism and pop art, and incorporating photo-engraving and lithography. The exhibition finishes with a site specific installation by Hiroshi’s granddaughter, Ayomi.
For me, Yoshida Hiroshi’s Japanese landscapes were the most interesting. I was particularly drawn to the night time views. There were some examples of the same blocks printed in totally different colour ways to give a night time and a daytime view. There was enough information on the process of printing, including a short film, to satisfy my inner printmaker geek. Hiroshi’s descendants clearly inherited his travel bug and I loved son Toshi’s images of ducks in Bruges and chimneys in a Belgium town, son Hodaka’s mythologizing of Mexico, and daughter-in-law Chizuko’s response to the Great Barrier Reef.
If you think the Dulwich is a really awkward place to get to from South West London, did you know that the 37 bus from Putney station will take you direct to North Dulwich station, a 10 minute walk from the gallery? Pick a sunny day to visit and you can explore Dulwich village as well.
Address: Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD
Until 2 November 2024
Opening hours: Tuesday-Friday 10.00-5.00
Tickets: Adult with donation: £20 /Art Fund / Student / Disabled visitors with donation: £10 /Companion: free /Under 30s with donation: £10 /Universal Credit / Pension Credit: £1 /Under 18s: free
More info: www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
Review and photographs by Yvonne Guerrier.
