Still Life with Portrait

AVAILABLE IN SOUTH AFRICA AND NEW YORK

This work was produced through four distinct layers: two linocuts, a watercolor layer, and a final monotype and soft ground etching printed on thin paper for collage.

Building on Mixed Bunch, Cohen’s new work expands the still life genre with a more intricate, layered approach. The composition features abstract forms of containers and bowls alongside floral elements, suggesting fruits or vegetables and leaving room for interpretation. Rich in pattern, the image guides the viewer’s eye with marks that evolve from Mixed Bunch, becoming denser and more texture-driven, capturing light and adding depth. While the palette may appear monochromatic at first, subtle tonal shifts create dimension, with fluid, expressive painted marks adding movement.

A key feature is the partially visible portrait on the left, printed on a transparent layer. This mysterious image, framed by an overlaid rectangle, contrasts with the bold marks of the still life, emerging subtly from the surrounding texture. The incomplete bowl of ‘fruit’ introduces stillness and simplicity, offering a counterpoint to the more complex elements, and drawing attention to its raw, unadorned form.

The piece is rendered in warm greys and blacks, with edges trimmed to create an illusion of infinity. To enhance depth, Cohen and printer Sbongiseni Khulu experimented with soft ground etching and hand-painting with Sumi ink, adding dimensionality and separating the foreground from the background.

This work uses distinct plates for the background and foreground, alongside collaged elements, creating a dynamic composition that balances precise printmaking with organic fluidity, inviting interpretation and reflection on layers of perception and life.