Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Although trained as a painter, Katsunori Hamanishi became a master of the printmaking technique of mezzotint, which he turned to in part because it was more environmentally friendly than acid-based processes. After seeing the work of American Color Field painters, like Barnett Newman, Hamanishi began incorporating more color and geometric shapes in his work. In this small print, he juxtaposes a realistic depiction of an artifact from the natural world with a simple, abstract form in rich, velvety red. The result is both dynamic and soothing; flat and three-dimensional. The spatial interaction between the elements gives the image an inner tension and modern sensibility.