Still Life, "Time" Expansion

Still Life, "Time" 

時 静物画

Artist
HASEGAWA, Kiyoshi
長谷川 潔
Birth Year
1891
Death Year
1980
Date
1969 
Technique, Material, Format
mezzotint 
Dimension
26.5 x 35.7 cm 
Edition
2/80
Category
Print by Japanese Artist 
Inventory Number
86-PRJ-065 

A ring stands upright, apparently defying gravity, with a small bird, a sphere, and an hourglass in front of it. Little flowers, seeds, and leaves surround them in an arc. The repetition of the round shape is suggestive of both circularity and completeness, creating the impression that some kind of miracle is occurring in which linear time overlaps with eternity.
Hasegawa Kiyoshi, who is known to have likened himself to a small bird, stated: “You must first pass through the visible world on earth in order to get to the invisible world. However, the visible world is much smaller. It is what I depict in my still-life pictures.” This bird, with its small round eye positioned in the center of the picture, might also be counted among the self-portraits of a printmaker who in his art pursued the depiction of time, despite its invisibility.
(SAKAMOTO Kyoko)

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