Grey Still Life 1948

Adja Yunkers made this print, "Grey Still Life," in 1948, and it's like a conversation in grayscale. The stark contrast of the black ink on what I imagine is a creamy paper creates this feeling of depth, like Yunkers carved the image right out of the silence. Look at the way the lines are laid down, so sure and steady, yet the image wavers between abstraction and representation. The texture seems intrinsic to the work itself. It’s not just a picture of something; it's a record of the action. The lower half of the image has these horizontal lines with a few long triangles, like a flat plane reaching out to hold the strange objects above, the lines feel very architectural, almost like a blueprint. Yunkers was interested in architecture and design so it makes sense he would bring these influences into his still life. In that sense, it reminds me a little of Picasso, who also turned still life into an experiment. What do you see?