ABOUT THIS COLLECTION  
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) is considered the last master of traditional Japanese woodblock printing, known as ukiyo-e. His career spanned two eras—the last years of the old feudal Japan, and the first years of the new modern Japan. As seen in this collection, his work was dynamic and distinctive, filled with experimentation in style and genre. No other artist had produced so many different subjects in a single series before he did. They ranged widely from warrior and supernatural imagery to scenes from Chinese and Japanese history, mythology, and folktales, both witty and serious. Examples of the latter are seen in our collection.  Another aspect of his work, also seen here, is the striking variety and intricacy of textile patterns in many colors.
 
COLLECTION DETAILS
Series title: Woodblock Prints by Yoshitoshi
Series size: 12 artworks
Edition: Limited edition of 1000
Proof of Ownership: Certification on the Ethereum blockchain under the ERC1155 protocol. Each artwork is delivered privately and directly to collectors as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that guarantee proof of ownership.
Format: Pieces consist of PNG files sized 2160x3840 pixels - 150 dpi.
Medium: Woodblock printing
Artwork Material: Woodblocks
Contract Address: 0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e
ID: 2749212597480566...
 
ABOUT THE ARTIST
At 11 years old, Yoshitoshi was apprenticed to the artist Kuniyoshi, famed for his portrayals of famous samurai and Japanese heroes. Kuniyoshi taught his pupil to draw from real life, including human models, which was not standard training at the time. Yoshitoshi also learned about the dramatic potential of perspective from Kuniyoshi’s collection of foreign prints. Incorporating these influences, Yoshitoshi produced some of the most graphically innovative art in the history of classical Japanese prints, particularly in his mastery of dark and light and his ability to capture movement, which gave his work an almost cinematic quality. With the arrival of lithography and photography from the West, Yoshitoshi not only held fast to the old ways but managed to push the traditional Japanese woodblock print to a new level before it fell out of fashion. He produced some of his best work at the end of his life, with his celebrated collection “One Hundred Aspects of the Moon” (1885-1892).
 
COLLECTION CREDITS
Historical curatorship: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Artwork: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Year of original publication: 1882
Post-production: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Digital art supervisor: Marie-Lou Desmeules
Editorial: Braden Phillips
Historical research: Evangelos Rosios, Braden Phillips
Executive production: Victor Zabrockis
 
RIGHTS OVERVIEW
Source of artwork: Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Underlying work rights: PD Worldwide
Digital copyrights: No Additional Rights