Untitled 1973

Editor: Here we have Yōzō Hamaguchi's "Untitled" etching from 1973. It features what appears to be a halved lemon or perhaps another citrus fruit. The contrast between the fruit and the dark background really makes it pop, giving it this sort of quiet, contemplative mood. How do you interpret this work? Curator: What strikes me is the persistent image of the fruit—the halved citrus acting as an ancient symbol made modern through Hamaguchi's technique. Its stark simplicity calls forth associations with bounty, but also with transience. Do you sense how the almost perfectly symmetrical halves reflect duality, maybe the two sides of life, sweetness and acidity, pleasure and pain? Editor: I see what you mean. The symmetry does give it a sort of balanced feel. It's more than just a lemon, isn’t it? Curator: Indeed. Think about how fruit, throughout art history, often carries meanings related to fertility, temptation, or even mortality. By reducing it to this simple form, Hamaguchi strips away the explicit narrative, prompting us to project our own associations onto the image. Does the geometric precision, paired with the soft tones of the etching, evoke any personal memories or cultural associations for you? Editor: I think that maybe I relate to this piece because it appears vulnerable, halved as it is, but resilient somehow because the seeds suggest renewal, like cycles of nature that resonate emotionally within me. I had never really looked at fruit this way before. Curator: Exactly! And it is through these personal connections to symbolic imagery that art endures, reflecting our shared human experiences across time. I find that these emotional and visual symbolisms become internalized; then become parts of a culture and individual identity, as they continue being transmitted through imagery such as this etching. Editor: I'm glad you pointed all of that out. I feel like I am going to perceive ordinary things differently now, thanks!