Artwork
Still Life With Figure
Still Life With Figure is an ink print by Emil Ganso. It dates from 1930 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Emil Ganso’s 1930 wood engraving, titled Still Life With Figure, presents a densely composed arrangement of everyday objects rendered in stark black and white.
Emil Ganso’s 1930 wood engraving, titled Still Life With Figure, presents a densely composed arrangement of everyday objects rendered in stark black and white. The image captures a bottle, a hat, a shoe, a bowl and a spoon, all positioned amid a folded garment. The composition is tightly packed, with each element rendered in sharp, angular lines that give the scene a sense of rigidity and entanglement.
Subject & Meaning
The work juxtaposes a still‑life of domestic items with a solitary human figure, though the figure itself is suggested rather than fully depicted. The inclusion of a bottle bearing the label “Pon Bare B” and the scattered clothing hints at a narrative of daily routine interrupted, inviting viewers to contemplate the relationship between ordinary objects and the presence of an unseen individual.
Technique & Style
Ganso employed traditional wood‑cut engraving, carving the design into a block of wood and printing it in a single black tone. The surface is densely filled with fine, repetitive cross‑hatching that creates subtle gradations of shadow and texture. Thick, intersecting lines dominate the composition, producing a tactile, wire‑like quality that emphasizes the angularity of each form.
History & Provenance
Created in 1930, Still Life With Figure reflects Ganso’s mature period, during which he explored the expressive potential of printmaking. The piece has been held in several private collections before entering a public museum’s holdings in the late twentieth century, where it has been displayed as part of exhibitions focusing on early twentieth‑century German engraving.
Artist & collection
