The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Ball of Yarn

Ball of Yarn

1978
Location: not on view

Description

Hamaguchi learned mezzotint while studying painting and engraving in Paris in the 1930s. Invented in the 17th century, mezzotint mimics the quality associated with oils; its velvety texture and finely gradated tonal values make it the perfect printmaking technique to reproduce paintings. Difficult and laborious, mezzotint was rarely used by the 20th century, but Hamaguchi sparked a revival with his original designs of subtle, refined beauty. The artist’s prints illustrate the importance of placement, pattern, and selectivity in Japanese art. Concentrating on a single modest motif, Hamaguchi created an intense, restrained, and magical ambiance.
  • Alice Adam
  • Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; December 12, 2004- April 10, 2005. "Visions of Japan: Prints and Paintings from Cleveland Collections".
    A Tradition Transformed: Japanese Prints, 1947-1987. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 9-April 24, 1988).
    CMA 1980: "Year in Review 1979," Bulletin LXVII (March 1980), p. 97, cat. #62
  • {{cite web|title=Ball of Yarn|url=false|author=Yozo Hamaguchi, Nantenshi Gallery|year=1978|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1979.29.1