Untitled (Still Life) c. late 1930s - 1940s

This untitled still life print was made by Lena Gurr, probably sometime mid-century. There's a vase of flowers, yeah, but it’s also a play of colors and shapes. It’s like she’s saying, ‘Okay, I see a vase, but what else can it be?’ I can almost feel her moving around the paper, maybe even rubbing at it. She’s got these little cross-hatched marks that make the background sing! And the vase, it’s a blue that vibrates, like it’s alive. Imagine her, standing there, maybe a little unsure, but diving in, trying this, trying that. It makes me think about Matisse and his way of turning simple objects into crazy adventures. How we all keep looking, keep questioning, keep trying to make something new out of something old. It’s like a painter’s secret handshake! Each artist leaves a trace, a little something for the next one to find. And we get to be part of that conversation, just by looking.