Join Variation - (Also called 'Combination A')

Katsunori Hamanishi

On first look, Hamanishi’s mezzotint “Join Variation A”, also known as "Combination A"appears to be an orderly still life depicting warped fencing wrapped in fabric, a simple but elegant study of textures and light. However, upon closer inspection the wood is not, in fact, twisted, but carved or warped through an illusionistic lens that borrows from Escher; the bundles appear to want to break out of their fabric bonds and evolve into unknown shapes, no longer twinned, free to twist.

Printmaker Katsunori Hamanishi was born in Hakkaido, Japan, in 1949. He studied painting and graduated from Tokai University, Kanagawa, with a degree in art in 1973. He began exhibiting internationally and received critical acclaim for both his paintings and prints. After receiving an invitation from H. Carroll Cassill, head of the printmaking department at the Cleveland Art Institute, to stay as a visiting artist at the school in 1986, Hamanishi was sponsored by the Japan Agency for Cultural Affairs to further his studies in the U.S. from 1987 to 1988. He lived with his wife and son in Philadelphia for a year while studied and exhibiting in Pennsylvania. Hamanashi is currently based in Tokyo, where his primary focus is mezzotint printmaking.

Hamanishi's early work focused on everyday objects, elevating them to Modernist introspection with a nearly surreal quality by focusing on objects such as ropes, pipes, and the flora of his environment into a composition of delicate, meditative balance. Recently he also been exploring the use of color and metallic leaf in his artwork. In 2005 Mr. Hamanishi began the Haze series exploring more abstract themes using the subtle differences between matte and black inks done in mezzotint and relief printing.

There is always a sense of mystery and intrigue in the complex mezzotint prints that come from Hamanishi’s deft hands. They compel the viewer to do a slow, thoughtful examination in order to fully absorb the vision the artist intends.