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Side Gate at Doshisha University, Kyoto Gardener's Cottage (Doshisha Tokiwai Mon), 1939
Woodblock Print
10.5 x 14.25
in
Description:A charming landscape of a young girl approaching a small vine covered cottage A framed impression of this scarce design was recently discovered with a hand-written note by Gifford affixed to the back with an explanation of the subject: "KYOTO, JAPAN Gardener's cottage Doshisha Missionary College Gardener's Cottage on compound of Doshisha College in Kyoto Japan. Doshisha is the first Missionary College in Japan. 'The Missionaries with whom I stayed wanted me to paint the building. When I found it, red brick with white-stone trimming I asked the privilege of painting instead, the gardener's cottage as more significant in Japan.' In his article on Gifford, Darrel Karl theorizes convincingly that this print was likely published in the studio of Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950) because the young girl in this composition is strikingly reminiscent of a figure that is found on two different woodblock prints by the artist,Yoshida. Like Watanabe,Yoshida spoke English and ran a robust woodblock print studio. Interestingly, while Watanabe was well-known for sympathetically adapting paintings by Western artists into woodblock prints, the Yoshida family studio became well-known for training artists to carve and print woodblock prints themselves.
Issued1939-1940
Condition excellent color state and impression
Signedsigned and titled in ink botton right and top left margins
Literature Darrel C. Karl,'The Asian Spring of Mrs. Gifford:Western Printmakers and the Orient, Eastern Impressions blogpot,August 2015
$2,400
