Painted Constructions, 1952-1960
During his art school years, Etrog showed his originality and creativity when developing his own unique style and medium. The large body of work known as Etrog’s “wood constructions” engages both two- and three- dimensionality. The young artist broke free from the convention of the prefabricated canvas and instead constructed his own wooden frames with unique and irregular surfaces. Adding to the visual complexity of the works, Etrog then painted these surfaces in abstract style adding raised contours, outlined shapes and saturated colours to the final composition.
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These abstract explorations in composition, form, and style reveal the influence of European avant-garde artists such as Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, and Pablo Picasso as well as modernist composers such as Béla Bartók, Arnold Schoenberg, and Igor Stravinsky. At the same time, young Etrog digested these influences to create a body of work that is utterly unique and that won him the attention of museum administrators, gallerists, and collectors.
The Ballade of the Diamond, 1959