8000 („Ich werde schwere Zeiten sehen …“) 1930

John Elsas made this watercolour, around 1930. It’s called 8000 (“I will see hard times…”). The first thing you notice is the collage-like effect of the differently coloured shapes. The way the colours don’t quite match or bleed over the edges gives the piece a raw, vulnerable feel. Look at how Elsas has built up the figure. It’s like he’s piecing together fragments of memory or emotion. The colours are watery, almost transparent, laid down in layers that let the paper breathe. The green square above the figures head, sits there like an afterthought, kind of unresolved. The ink drawing beneath the image feels like a caption to the work, a melancholic observation on life’s difficulties, yet, there is a strange beauty about the piece, it doesn't let you wallow, it has a lightness of touch. I am reminded of the work of Paul Klee in its playful simplicity and use of colour. This piece invites us to consider the ongoing conversation between artists across time.