Four Seasons, Winter 1987

Hiro Yamagata made this screenprint, called *Four Seasons, Winter*, imagining a snow-filled urban landscape. It's fascinating to imagine Yamagata at work, carefully layering each flat color to build up this charming scene. The crisp geometry of the buildings contrasted against the whimsical umbrellas and figures create such an interesting tension. I can almost feel the biting cold of the winter air as the tiny figures move through the snow. The paint application is so flat and even, it's as if the image was printed perfectly! Yet, there are these subtle gradations of color, especially in the sky, that suggest a hand-touched element. In some ways the painting reminds me of Wayne Thiebaud, but with its own playful twist. Yamagata builds on the legacy of his predecessors and creates something entirely new. What's particularly compelling is how he balances precision with spontaneity. These kinds of visual dialogues are such fun.