Carrot and Two Garlic

A small still life of three vegetables—a single carrot and two heads of garlic—rendered as a monochrome etching without color. The choice of unprepossessing kitchen produce as subject reflects Hansen's interest in domestic, near-at-hand material, a sensibility consistent with the modest still-life tradition of European intaglio masters such as Giorgio Morandi as well as the everyday subject matter of Edo-period haiga (haiku-painting). As a black-line etching, the print depends on bitten line and tonal aquatint or hatching to model volume; the curved taper of the carrot and the segmented papery membranes of the garlic offer distinct textural challenges suited to the etched line's flexibility. The 1986 still-life work forms a small subset within Hansen's largely floral and landscape catalogue. The compositional triad—one elongated form against two compact bulbs—is a deliberate balancing exercise familiar from European still-life convention.