SAN ANTONIO, TX.- Seasons of Beauty: Yoshitoshi's Thirty-two Aspects of Daily Life is a yearlong exploration of the prints of Taiso Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) exhibited in four seasonal rotations. Taiso Yoshitoshi is one of the greatest woodblock print artists in Japanese history. He pursued varied subjects in his prints, ranging from nightmarish ghosts to scenes of domestic harmony.

Season Three presents prints 17 to 24 from the set of 32 prints. According to John Johnston, SAMA’s Coates-Cowden-Brown Curator of Asian Art, “Season Three includes images of women engaged in various activities such as shopping for flowers, teaching music and tasting tempura. The women are shown wearing elaborate hairstyles and fashionable clothing popular in mid-19th century Japan.”

In Japan, sets of prints were often produced in stages. Publishers would only commit to publishing complete sets if the prints were well-received by the public. In keeping with this tradition, SAMA’s presentation of Thirty-two Aspects of Daily Life over the course of four seasons is consistent with this traditional practice.

The prints, which are from a single first edition and are in excellent condition, are considered among Yoshitoshi’s greatest works. This very rare set of prints is on special loan from Lifetime Trustees of the museum Lenora and Walter F. Brown.
SAMA’s presentation of Yoshitoshi’s Thirty Two Aspects of Daily Life is popular with diverse audiences and has generated media attention nationally and internationally.