PH 77 1936

This painting by Clyfford Still, titled PH 77, depicts two figures hunched over, engaged in what appears to be agricultural labor. The bending posture is an age-old symbol, one deeply rooted in the collective human experience of toil and survival. We see it echoed across millennia—consider the Egyptian tomb paintings depicting field workers, their bodies similarly curved in repetitive motion. This posture transcends mere physical activity, it embodies a deeper connection to the earth, a yielding to the demands of sustenance. The motif evokes the psychological weight of labor, reminding us of the primal need to provide. The bend of the body becomes a vessel for the anxieties and hopes tied to nature's capricious bounty. It resurfaces, evolved and adapted, across countless cultural contexts.