Photo credit: © Graham Turner
Dulwich Picture Gallery is currently hosting a particularly special retrospective celebrating the work of three generations of the Yoshida family in the place which inspired the head of the artistic clan, Hiroshi, when he was a young man.
About
Yoshida: Three Generations of Printmaking explores the works of the vanguard of the shin hanga movement, Yoshida Hiroshi, his wife – the watercolourist, painter and printmaker Yoshida Fujio, their sons Yoshida Tōshi and Yoshida Hodaka (who explored post-war abstraction), Hodaka’s wife Yoshida Chizuko (a member of the Women’s Print Association) and their daughter Yoshida Ayomi who works with traditional techniques alongside modern practices.
With the spotlight on such an important artistic dynasty, Yoshida: Three Generations of Printmaking is the first major exhibition of its kind to be held in Europe, with several works displayed in the UK for the first time.
The exhibition begins with Hiroshi’s works, very touchingly on display alongside his diaries and his 1900 entry in Dulwich Picture Gallery’s visitor book. As you progress through the exhibition, you will see the changes in style, approach and influences over time through the generations of the family.
The show ends with an immersive installation of cherry blossom by Yoshida Ayomi, created exclusively for the exhibition. Reflecting upon the link between Hiroshi and the gallery at the start of the exhibition, this beautiful work is inspired by the cherry trees in Dulwich Village which were sourced from the home of the cherry tree, Yoshino.
Ayomi commented: “When I found my grandfather’s signature in the Dulwich Picture Gallery guest book, my heart skipped a beat. What an exciting and intriguing journey it must have been for Hiroshi, then an unknown painter and only 23, traveling from a country so far away. How proud he would be of this family exhibit of six, welcomed 120 years later at this wonderful museum.”
The exhibition runs until 3 November.
Location
Dulwich Picture Gallery is in south London, sandwiched between the leafy parks of Dulwich and Belair and just south of Dulwich Village. It’s one of the most beautiful areas of London with a high street rich in independent cafes, chic boutiques and traditional pubs.
Getting there
Dulwich Picture Gallery can be reached by bus and train from 9 Hertford Street.