White Plum in the Farmyard 1951

Toshi Yoshida made this print of a farmyard with white plum blossoms sometime around the mid-20th century. I love the way the roofs of the buildings feel very close-up, maybe too close, and then that tree is right there, blocking the view. I can feel Yoshida pushing and pulling the space, not really worried about conventional perspective. There is something very contemporary in this approach. I imagine Yoshida carefully carving the wood blocks, thinking about the way each line and shape will hold the ink, and how the colors will layer. The pink sky, the grey rooftops, the black tree trunk, it's like he’s making a puzzle. I wonder if, like me, he was ever unsure of the direction a piece might take. For me, Yoshida feels part of an ongoing conversation, and it reminds me of the work of other artists like Lois Dodd. Like Dodd, he's using the everyday to explore something deeper, more personal. Maybe that's what all art is: one long, meandering chat between artists across time.