A herd stands cooling, doubled in shallow midday water

A herd of cattle stands in shallow water at midday, cooling. Yoshida prints them in warm russet, chestnut, black and broken white, packed together across the right two-thirds of the sheet, each animal carrying its own soft reflection in the pale water below. A long low headland runs across the background in flat mauve-grey, with the faintest suggestion of buildings at its far end, and the sky above is a plain warm cream. Nothing else competes — the herd and its reflection are the subject.

Hiroshi Yoshida (1876–1950) came to woodblock printing from Western-style oil and watercolour painting, and the meeting of the two defines his work. He travelled widely before turning to prints — the Alps, the Rockies, India, Egypt and China all enter his subjects — and in 1925 set up his own studio, supervising the carving and printing himself instead of working through a publisher. That control let him print one set of blocks in several colour states, so the same view could be given morning, evening or mist. His prints are held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Printed as a museum-grade giclée on Hahnemühle fine art paper using 12-ink archival pigment printing. Available handframed in FSC-certified wood with optional float glass, or unframed. Ships worldwide with free delivery to 30+ countries.