‘Morning of Darjeeling’ by Yoshida Hiroshi

At Dorje Teas, it is always our effort to celebrate and preserve the beauty of India, especially the Himalayan Range. People all over the world have always been fascinated by Darjeeling. One such person was Hiroshi Yoshida. Yoshida was a 20th-century Japanese painter and woodblock printmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the shin hanga style and is noted especially for his excellent landscape prints.

Yoshida adopted shin hanga in the 1920s when he was already 40. Unlike other shin hanga artists, Yoshida did not restrict himself to working in Japan. Over the decades, he travelled to Europe, China, North Africa, Asia and South-East Asia as well as widely within Japan. His India trip was his fourth one abroad.

Yoshida visited India and south-east Asia between 1929 and 1930, a few years after he had become confident about his art. Yoshida was a rare Japanese in the Indian subcontinent, teeming with Western artists, trying to make money from an exotic locale.

Shin hanga artists used the same techniques and subjects as ukiyo-e did. Artists carved and painted bamboo blocks to print images of landscapes, women and actors. Yoshido also borrowed from Western art traditions for the treatment of light and depth.

Ukiyo-e and shin hanga were normally collaborative efforts between artist, carver and printer, but Yoshida made sure he could do everything himself.

The painting ‘Morning of Darjeeling, from the series, India and Southeast Asia, by Yoshida Hiroshi, 1931’ was chosen for many different reasons.

It captures the beauty of Darjeeling in an exquisite manner. The surreal and pristine beauty of the Kanchenjunga is set against the roll of the hills. The trees stand silently and watch the lives of the people living in the quaint houses.

It marries many different techniques of painting. Yoshida used Japanese techniques of artist, carver and painter. Additionally, he used Western Techniques for play of light.

It shows the international importance that Darjeeling holds. Yoshida came to India and painted many of its popular monuments. However, Darjeeling was the only scenic place which he captured in its natural beauty.

This painting, in fact, resonates with the essence of Dorje Teas. It is our intention to remind people of the importance and hypnotic beauty of Darjeeling and bring it back to its former glory using techniques ancient and modern.

For more information write to me at Editor@Dorjeteas