Artist: Hiroshi Yoshida
Medium: Original Japanese Woodblock Print
Series Title: Beauties
Edition: First
Date: 1927
Publisher: The Artist - Privately Published
Reference No.: Abe #96
Size: 22 -1/4 x 17 -1/2 " (Dai-Oban Format)
Condition: Fine, toned on reverse
Notes:
Signed and titled in pencil, with the artist's brush signature and red chop. Jizuri seal in the left margin. A prime example for framing and enjoyment in a main room or office space.
At the Mirror (Kagami no Mae), stands out as an exceptionally rare and intimate masterpiece within Yoshida’s career, which was otherwise dominated by vast landscape and architectural scenes. The print depicts a private domestic scene of a nude young woman kneeling on the floor before a traditional lacquered dressing stand and mirror. She is pensive, lightly touching her cheek as she applies her makeup and prepares for the day. Instead of flat lines, Yoshida utilized realistic shading and delicate gradations of color to outline the natural curves and soft skin tones of the woman's body. True nudes (hadaka-e) are incredibly uncommon in Yoshida’s body of work, since he only designed a small handful of them in the 1920s. The print was produced in a large double-ōban size format rarely utilized by the artist.