Grey Still Life 1948

Adja Yunkers made this evocative “Grey Still Life” using woodcut, and it’s the monochrome palette that first grabs me. It’s like Yunkers is exploring how much you can say with so little, using the stark contrast to really push the boundaries of form and space. The texture in this print is phenomenal. You can almost feel the grain of the wood, right? See how the knife seems to dance across the surface, carving out these shapes that are both abstract and somehow familiar? The lines aren’t just lines; they're little paths, each with its own story to tell. The oval shapes floating on the left almost feel like little worlds unto themselves. Yunkers, who was a contemporary of the abstract expressionists, shares their spirit of experimentation and freedom, but brings such a unique approach to the materiality of printmaking. It reminds me a bit of some of the early work of Elizabeth Murray, in its playful exploration of form, though Murray brings a very different colour palette to the table. Anyway, it's a reminder that art is a constant conversation, always borrowing and transforming.