For Thee 2001

The title quotes John Donne's Meditation XVII — 'for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee' — a literary touchstone Shinoda returned to in multiple works across her career. Dated 2001, this print belongs to her late practice, when she was nearing ninety and producing prints of consolidated form. The composition likely consists of a small number of weighted strokes, perhaps a single dominant vertical mark crossed or punctuated by a horizontal accent, held within the broad expanse of washi that her work depended upon for breathing space. Shinoda often paired her abstract ink configurations with English-language titles drawn from poetry, situating her work explicitly between Japanese visual tradition and Western literary resonance. As mokuhanga, the print would register Donne's meditation through the carved registration of carefully judged tonal layers. The work reflects her sustained interest in mortality and presence, themes she explored across her long working life.