15142 (_In front of the alcove …_) 1931

This work, 15142 (_In front of the alcove …_), was made by John Elsas, but we don't know when. The palette is simple, almost child-like, but there's a clear intention in how these shapes and colours come together, it's not just messing around. Look at the figure’s minty-green triangular body, a simple shape imbued with a certain melancholic grace. The brushstrokes, so delicate, give it a gentle texture, like a faded memory. And the head! That profile, so sharp and pointed, topped with what looks like a collage of colored paper, it’s like a deconstructed portrait. The collage element reminds me of the Dadaists, maybe Kurt Schwitters, using found materials to create a new reality, one that’s fragmented and a bit absurd. It's like Elsas is having a conversation with art history, riffing on ideas of representation and identity, but with his own unique voice. To me, it’s a reminder that art is always in dialogue, artists are always speaking to each other, across time and space.