Hamanishi Katsunori

Created in 2000, this woodblock print represents a departure from Hamanishi's primary medium of mezzotint, engaging instead with the traditional Japanese mokuhanga technique. The shift from copper plate to woodblock required a fundamental reorientation of Hamanishi's working methods, trading the tonal subtlety of burnished metal for the graphic directness of carved and printed wood. The print, bearing the artist's own name as its title, may function as a self-referential statement or signature work marking the transition between media. Hamanishi's experience with the extreme precision of mezzotint burnishing informs his approach to woodblock carving, bringing an unusual degree of tonal control to a medium more typically associated with bold outlines and flat color areas.