Fruits of Clover

Yozo Hamaguchi

Yozo Hamaguchi focused on simple manmade or natural objects for many of his mezzotint composition allowing the viewer to rethink their relationship to an object or perhaps see its beauty and delicacy for the first time.

Fruits of Clover is a monochromic still life but Hamaguchi added intrigue by changing the picture plane. The vase in the foreground is viewed straight on while the textured porcelain cup and dark pipe are tipped at angles, allowing the viewer a partial glimpse into their circular chambers. With the technique of mezzotint, the artist works from dark to light having to educe his subject out of rich blackness. Hamaguchi mastered the tonal possibilities of gray, using it here as both color and highlight.