13992 („Was alle Leute meinen …“) 1931 - 1932

This mixed media work on paper was made by John Elsas, but the date is unknown. The first thing that strikes me is how Elsas reduces the figure to its most basic geometric forms. It's like a child's drawing, but with this raw, almost urgent quality. The face is a simple, black rectangle with a triangular nose and a jaunty, V-shaped smile. Those eyes, just two little triangles, seem to hold so much. And the turban, a collage of colors, adds a touch of the exotic, doesn't it? The materiality of the work is striking. You can almost feel the texture of the paper, the slightly uneven application of the ink and collage. It’s not about perfection; it's about the act of making, the sheer physicality of putting these elements together. I see echoes of Paul Klee here, that same interest in primitive forms and playful experimentation. Ultimately, this piece is a reminder that art is not about answers; it's about questions.