Description
Nathalie GAUTIER-HARTOG
New South Wales
‘The Eyes of Elsa (Les Yeux d’Elsa)’ 2025
relief print and rust
76 x 53cm framed
This work responds to Louis Aragon’s poem Les yeux d’Elsa, particularly the line: “Tes yeux sont si profonds qu’en me penchant pour boire, j’ai vu tous les soleils y venir se mirer.” (“Your eyes are so deep that as I lean to drink, I saw all the suns reflected in them.”) The piece explores reflection as both a visual and emotional experience. I emboss the poem’s text using nails, creating a tactile impression that speaks to love’s depth and permanence. Over time, the nails rust, introducing a sense of memory and transformation. Rust marks the passage of time, showing how love—like metal—ages, stains, and endures. Reflection here is not just an image but a process of holding, weathering, and remembering. The work invites the viewer to consider how language, material, and emotion intertwine to reflect what cannot always be seen.
