‘Yoshitoshi. Master of the Moon’ on Display at the Van Gogh Museum

The iconic series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839–1892), one of the 19th century’s most important Japanese printmakers, plays a central role. These prints, which were added to the Van Gogh Museum’s collection thanks to a generous donation, are now on display at the museum for the first time.

Last master of ukiyo-e

Japan increasingly opened up to foreign influences in the second half of the 19th century, after nearly two centuries of almost complete isolation, bringing about sweeping modernisation. Yoshitoshi lamented the disappearance of the rich culture and traditions of old Japan. With One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (1885–1892), he sought to keep them alive for his contemporaries.

The hundred prints show a wide range of characters and events from Japanese and Chinese history, mythology and folklore. The moon is the unifying element, symbolising contemplation and nostalgia. Sometimes the moon features prominently; at other times, only the moonlight reveals its presence.

Yoshitoshi worked according to traditional Japanese woodblock-printing principles, but also incorporated Western influences such as perspective and realism into his printmaking. With his powerful compositions, refined use of colour and innovative visual language, he became the last great master and innovator of Japanese printmaking (ukiyo-e).

Van Gogh and Japanese printmaking

Vincent van Gogh admired Japanese colour woodcuts greatly. From 1885 onwards, he assembled a collection of hundreds of prints, including five by Yoshitoshi. Pinholes in the corners of the sheets tell us that Van Gogh hung the prints and studied them. Their large colour blocks, strong outlines and unexpected compositions played an important role in his artistic development.

The series on display is remarkably complete and in excellent condition. It comes from the estate of Elise Wessels (1943–2023), an art collector and founding director of the museum Nihon no hanga. She bequeathed her collection to several Dutch institutions, with the aim of making it accessible to future generations.

Through the Dutch inheritance tax scheme, 141 Japanese prints from her collection, including the complete series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, were transferred to the Dutch State to be housed at the Van Gogh Museum.

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IMAGE CAPTION:

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), Rising moon over Mount Nanping – Cao Cao, 1885, colour woodcut on Japan paper, 35.5 x 24.9 cm, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (State of the Netherlands, heirs of Elise Wessels, payment in kind under the Dutch Inheritance Tax Act)