Chizuko Yoshida's "Into the White Strata"

(1970)

Chizuko Yoshida is a woman known for her modernist (and largely abstract) art. Most of these pieces tracked the changing face of art through World War II. Something interesting is that Yoshida's husband, mother and daughter all gained popularity with their production of abstract paintings/woodblock prints. She was born in 1924, and today many of her works reside in the Yokohama Museum of Art and British Museum.

Unsurprisingly, it is not immediately apparent what this image means. A quick glance suggests a high degree of symmetrical awareness, but it's lack of symmetry is ultimately what makes it to intriguing. The two shapes that peel off the side of the boarder don't take up equal space on the sides. Furthermore, the one of the left rises just a bit higher that the one parallel to it. The two dips (before it rises to the candle-like flame) are also slightly disproportionate although though they appear to be even. The spacing of the roses is obviously off, with the bottom-most rose hanging much lower then the two above it.

Looking in the cream colored "sky" above the blue shape one will notice the color bends and winds in order to give the effect of light radiating from the candle. This kind of close detailing is not typical of Yoshida's other abstract work, most of which resembles the "construction paper" look of Strata's bottom half. The disregard of symmetry met with stylistic clashing of the two parts makes this a visually complex and comprehensive image.

A semiotic reading of this image is onerous task just due to how abstract it is. I enjoyed considering Yoshida's interesting family lineage when analyzing this image. A bloodline of three abstract women artists is not only rare, but basically unheard of in any culture. The two shapes on either side of the image, although implied, seem to me like silhouettes of people. Ayomi Yoshida, Chizuko's daughter, and Fujio, her mother could possibly be the two images on the side. They all share the same style of art, sure, but the three women's work all seem to borrow inspiration from one other.

Relating this back to the image, the three blue humps are all connected, sharing life with one another, while still maintaining unique traits (hense the lack of symmetry). Roses, the color blue, and flame all symbolize passion and zeal. All three artists have work in museums and have enjoyed private shows - clearly the sentiment of compassion shown here is mirrored in the beautiful pieces they have produced in the past.

It's a tough one. I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on the piece!