“Concentric Bearings A,” an etching by Vija Celmins created in 1984, exemplifies Photorealism within the genre of still life. The artwork is currently housed in Tate Britain, London, UK.
The artwork comprises a dyad of distinct yet interconnected panels. On the left, there is an intricate depiction of a star-filled night sky rendered in remarkable detail. The speckled stars against the deep black background evoke a sense of the infinite and the mysterious vastness of space. On the right panel, an equally meticulous drawing portrays a mechanical setup with concentric circles, evoking an apparatus of scientific observation or measurement. The juxtaposition of the two panels, one celestial and the other mechanical, invites contemplation on the relationship between the natural and the constructed, the macrocosm and the microcosm. The precision and skill inherent in the etching technique underline the Photorealistic fidelity of the work, capturing the textures and subtleties of both the starry expanse and the mechanical device.
