Pagoda in Kyoto 1942

Toshi Yoshida made this woodblock print, Pagoda in Kyoto, layering blocks of color to create a scene that feels both real and dreamlike. It's how the colors talk to each other that grabs me; the soft pink sky against the cool blues and greens is a kind of visual ASMR. Look at how the pagoda fades into the background, like a memory, with the willow tree in the foreground, its branches a curtain of green, reflecting in the water. Each leaf feels like a deliberate mark, a tiny decision. The reflections in the water are especially evocative, distorting the shapes of the trees and architecture, making them more fluid and abstract. Yoshida's work, with its subtle gradations and attention to detail, reminds me a little of Hiroshi Yoshida, another master of Japanese woodblock printing – you could say that art is a conversation, echoing and evolving across time. And, ultimately, the beauty of art lies in its ability to hold multiple truths, to be both a representation of a place and an echo of a feeling.