Untitled (Series of abstract still lifes) 1965

Stuart Egnal made this abstract still life, probably an etching, in 1965. It’s all about the process, a whole bunch of tiny lines coming together. The texture is built up with these delicate marks, like a whispered conversation between the artist and the plate. It feels almost meditative, like each line is a breath, slowly building into this quiet, intense image. Look at the bottom right corner, the way the hatching gets denser, creating this dark, shadowed space that contrasts with the open, white shapes scattered throughout. It’s kind of like Morandi, but with an added layer of abstraction. Both of them found something profound in the everyday, but where Morandi used muted colors, Egnal used only line. It’s a testament to how much you can say with so little. Art is an ongoing exchange, and it embraces ambiguity, leaving space for each of us to bring our own experiences to the table.