Fallen Leaves 

This is "Fallen Leaves" by Hiro Yamagata, and is an offset lithograph. The visual impact of Yamagata's prints comes down to the mastery of a very particular form of commercial color printing. Notice the flat planes of bright colors and the overall crispness of the image. This is achieved by using a printing plate to apply each color separately. The result is an image that seems almost mechanically produced, devoid of any overt sign of the artist's hand. Yet, the artist's choices are evident: the composition, the selection of colors, and the overall design. Yamagata’s subject matter reinforces this interpretation. The work depicts a scene in Paris with high-end boutiques. The artwork and its motifs tie into wider social issues such as labor and politics. The use of offset lithography, a technique associated with mass production, further emphasizes these themes. Ultimately, understanding the materials and production process helps us appreciate the artwork's meaning, blurring the line between fine art and craft.