Yuji Hiratsuka: Master Printmaker Blending East and West
Yuji Hiratsuka
uji Hiratsuka (b. 1954, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese-American printmaker internationally recognized for his refined and technically sophisticated intaglio, relief, and multi-color etching prints. His work reflects a sustained dialogue between traditional Japanese aesthetic principles and contemporary Western printmaking practices, resulting in images that are precise, restrained, and quietly expressive.
After completing his early training in Japan, Hiratsuka moved to the United States in the mid-1980s to pursue graduate studies in printmaking. He went on to build a long academic career as a teacher of printmaking and drawing, ultimately serving as Professor of Printmaking at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Alongside his work as an educator, he has maintained an active studio practice and has exhibited widely in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Hiratsuka’s prints are distinguished by their disciplined compositions and subtle orchestration of color, surface, and space. He frequently employs multi-color intaglio techniques in combination with chine-collé, using layered papers and carefully modulated tonal relationships to create works that reward close viewing. Architectural references, landscape elements, and abstracted natural forms recur throughout his imagery, distilled into balanced and thoughtful compositions.
His work is represented in numerous public and institutional collections worldwide and is widely regarded for its technical mastery and understated elegance.
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