1980s TORREY PINES print by TSUYOSHI MATSUMOTO

Description: Rare early 1980s small print depicting a Torrey pine among rocks in Torrey Pines State Reserve by Japanese/American artist Tsuyoshi Matsumoto. Inkjet print done during the life of the artist - I have another print from this series signed in pencil by the artist. The Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana) is the rarest native pine in the United States and, possibly, the rarest pine in the world. It only grows naturally in two places: on Santa Rosa Island and in La Jolla near San Diego. The species is critically endangered as increasingly fragile eco-system of the Torrey pines suffered much damage in the past ten years from drought and infestation of bark beetles. Tsuyoshi “Mat” Matsumoto (1908-1982) was born in Japan and studied at a Missionary College in Tokyo as well as at seminaries in New York and San Francisco. He left Japan in 1930s and assisted the U.S. Army during World War II. He lived in Japan in the 1950s and 1960s working for the U.S. Navy when he first began exhibiting at galleries in Tokyo. He also began his study of pines, the Japanese symbol of good luck and longevity. Pine trees held a special significance for him: “Matsumoto” means root of a pine tree. After returning to New York (where he worked and exhibited), Matsumoto retired in 1968, visiting Torrey Pines in La Jolla for the first time shortly thereafter. He moved La Jolla in the 1970s and spent the remainder of his life devoted to studying and drawing the Torrey Pine. According to the Torrey Pines Newsletter: "Mat spent his days in the Reserve where he became a familiar figure, perched on the special stool a friend had fashioned for him, with his sketchbook on his lap. During the following years, he filled thirty sketchbooks with drawings of the Torrey pine." Mat meticulously documented dozens of trees from 1973 to 1981. His sketches show the Reserve when it was more lush and verdant than it is today. Many of the trees that Mat drew are no longer alive, and most of the trails are more sparsely populated with trees compared to when Mat was sketching at the park. Printed on acid free decent thickness art paper. Perfectly captured elegance and magic of the trees, superbly crisp fine detailing of their bark and individual needles and grasses growing around the pines, sharp printing, beautiful composition, in perfect condition. Printed signature MAT of the artist in the plate. Size 7 x 5 inches.

Price: 50 USD

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

End Time: 2024-03-20T14:48:22.000Z

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