Fountain of Earth #1
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
Description
The first in a series exploring the concept of earth as a generative source, this woodblock print imagines geological energy as an upward force, a fountain erupting from below the surface. Masaji's "Fountain of Earth" title fuses the organic and the elemental, treating the ground not as inert matter but as a pressurized system capable of sudden release. The abstract composition likely features vertical thrust and upward-moving forms rendered through stacked or overlapping color blocks. The sosaku-hanga method, in which Masaji carved and printed every block himself, gave him physical access to the wood's grain and resistance, qualities that connect the act of printmaking to the geological forces the title invokes. Cutting into wood is itself a kind of excavation, and printing from that carved surface is a kind of impression-taking from the earth.
More Prints by Yoshida Masaji
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fountain of Earth #1 was created by Yoshida Masaji (吉田政次).
Fountain of Earth #1 depicts landscapes and abstract.