2438 (_This here is the king ..._) 1928

John Elsas made "_This here is the king..._" with collage and mixed media. It's all about process, bits and pieces coming together. The materiality is key here. The texture is palpable. You can almost feel the roughness of the paper and the shine of the metallic elements. The layering creates depth, and those stark contrasts in color—the deep black against the muted browns and creams—really grab you. The construction of the king is interesting. There's one jagged, purple fragment towards the bottom of the king that stands out, it brings the whole piece alive, like a hidden secret. The whole artwork reminds me a little of Kurt Schwitters and his Merz collages. Elsas and Schwitters both explore the beauty in the discarded and the fragmented. Art is an open conversation.