Rapids

Born in Kurume, Fukuoka prefecture, Yoshida was a major figure in three separate media - watercolor painting, oil painting and woodblock prints. He was also the representative painter of the conservative western-style painters, in the dichotomy of conservative and progressive camps which developed in Japan. He stood in opposition to Kuroda Seiki, leader of the Hakubakai group of weatern-style painters, and was active as one of the founding members of the Taiheiyougakai painting group.
Throughout his life Yoshida sought to depict the beauty of Japan's landscapes, especially her mountainscapes. This work, created when Yoshida was just 34 years old and just as he was selected a juror of the 4th Bunten, conveys this artist's entire soul and is the greatest masterpiece of his early period. The art critics of the day made the following laudatory remarks when this work was displayed, "The organization of color tones and the sound brushwork all bring a sense of pure joy to Rapids. In this work we can perceive an array of quiet and richly nuanced realism, from the water color to the crags, to their sheer combination. ... Clearly the breadth of his artistic vision is worthy of considerable attention."