Yoshida, Toshi (1911 – 1995), “Kilimanjaro, Morning”

Notes: Pencil signed, titled and numbered by the artist. This impression comes from the Special Edition print run, produced in 1984; with yellow hues in the sky and white clouds in the middle distance instead of light blue. A dramatic impression, with more intense colors in the background then the regular edition. Acquired directly from the Yoshida Family; properly stored away in a folio and never displayed or handled. To produce the subtle range of color, Toshi used sixteen blocks and fifty separate impressions. 'Kilimanjaro, Morning (1977 11x24) is exceptional. The mountain dominates the horizontal format. Its broad crown is given volume by rose tint streaks separated by snow crevices. The rose color at a lower level is overlaid with violet, and lower still with blue-gray, so that no matter where the viewer's eye begins, it always moves upward from the darker to the lighter tones. The sky behind the mountain changes from peach upward to gray, making the white summit shine against the gray background. The two dozen creatures form a band of life in the darkness at the bottom of the print. The bottom layer does not just anchor the image, but represents life on earth in humble contrast to the glorious peak.' - Nature, Art, and Peace; pg. 71 'This woodcut is often considered the most beautiful of all of Toshi's mountain landscapes. Unlike Hiroshi's works with their misty atmospheres, Toshi's early mountain prints feature sharp lines and bright colors. Kilimanjaro, Morning proved to be so popular that when the original edition was close to being sold out in 1983, he decided to create additional versions altering the original colors (Kilimanjaro, Evening and Kilimanjaro, Cloudy)'. - A Japanese Legacy, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts; pg. 102. One of the world's "Seven Summits", Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain at 19,320 feet.