The Tennis Player 1923

Editor: Here we have Eric Gill's "The Tennis Player," a print residing in the Tate. The stark contrast between figure and ground is quite striking. What do you see in the formal elements of this piece? Curator: The linework is indeed the key. Note the economy and precision. Gill delineates form, yet the lack of shading flattens the figure. How does this flatness affect your reading of the body? Editor: It makes it feel less individual, more archetypal. Almost like a classical statue rendered in a modern style. Curator: Precisely. Gill’s reduction emphasizes essential form, abstracting the figure. It makes you consider the relationship between line, form, and the physical presence of the body. It is the purity of the line that matters here. Editor: It's fascinating how much expression he achieves with so little. Curator: Agreed. It is an excellent exercise in formal reduction.