Dated 1977, pencil titled あけぼの, signed and dated in lower margin, with red artist's seal, a large gray tree stands against a silver and light blue graduated sky, professionally framed in Hong Kong with light gray mat with silver frame.

Frame dimensions 11 1/2 x 14 1/4 in.

Collection of Ambassador and Mrs. Leonard Woodcock

In the late 1940s, Hoshi began to teach himself woodblock printmaking through his membership with the Japanese Woodblock Print Association. His skill was quickly recognized with an award at the Association’s Print Exhibition in 1949. By the time he had graduated from the Musashino University of Fine Arts in 1956 at the age of 42, Hoshi had earned numerous accolades from National Artists Associations as well as an international Print Biennales.
Hoshi began to concentrate on his singular, magical realist tree motifs in the 1970s. These elaborate, meticulous depictions of trees are incandescent against vividly-colored, monochromatic backgrounds and often include details of gold and silver leaf. In the final years of his life, Hoshi also began a series focusing on grasses. The artist’s quiet dreamscapes continue to inspire printmakers to take up trees as subject matter earning him the moniker “the father of tree prints.”
Hoshi’s works are held in the esteemed collections around the world including the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Art Institute of Chicago, the Rockefeller Foundation, New York, National Museum, Berlin and the Haifa Museum of Art, Israel among others.

From the collection of Ambassador and Mrs. Leonard Woodcock. They lived in China from 1977 to 1981 and continued to visit frequently until 1996. Ambassador Woodcock negotiated normalization between the United States and China with leader Deng Xiaoping, and was then selected to be the first U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.

Very good condition; very light overall toning to paper; not examined outside of the frame.