Yozo Hamaguchi

Yozo Hamaguchi (1909–2000)

Yozo Hamaguchi was another groundbreaking artist in the field of mezzotint printmaking, whose work brought epoch-making significance to the medium. In the 1950s, he revitalized the technique in Paris and gained wide recognition on the international art stage. Through mezzotint, he combined exquisite tonal effects with finely executed stippling, creating works that radiate a distinctive tranquility and profound emotional depth.

Hamaguchi’s style is characterized by simplicity, often focusing on still life subjects such as fruits and shells. His mezzotints are especially celebrated for their subtle gradations, achieved through the painstaking buildup of dots to craft delicate transitions of light and shadow. By varying the density of these stippled marks, he expanded tonal ranges from the deepest blacks to luminous whites, imparting objects with a striking sense of three-dimensionality. This precision in handling light and shadow imbues his works with a quiet, poetic atmosphere, as if everyday objects were floating in the silence of night. Through minimalist compositions and the use of expansive negative space, he constructed a mood of isolation and stillness, enabling viewers to experience profound emotional resonance with ordinary objects.

Hamaguchi’s works are held in the collections of world-renowned institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, affirming his extraordinary achievements in advancing the mezzotint technique.