One Whale Called Lisa Diptych (High quality Print Version) by Josefina Herz
Medium: Graphite pencil on high quality off white paper
Dimensions: 140 x 50 cm
Year: 2024
Price: $750.00 USD
Status: available
At a scale that demands attention, a whale emerges from graphite. A Whale called Lisa (or "La Ballena Lisa") is an encounter with presence, scale, and the power of the gaze. Its monumental dimensions and diptych format allow the animal to extend beyond the limits of the paper, confronting the viewer with a silent, almost human presence. The title was born from a spontaneous association: a viewer once said that the whale reminded her of the Mona Lisa. What began as a playful comparison opened an unexpected reading. Like Leonardo’s iconic portrait, this work is built around a gaze that remains elusive. The whale does not look directly at the viewer, yet it does not feel entirely detached from them either. Its expression holds something difficult to define: calm, depth, distance. This ambiguity allows each viewer to project their own emotions onto the animal. Created entirely in graphite pencil, the work brings drawing into an unusually large scale. Precision, texture, and meticulous mark-making coexist with an image of striking simplicity: a vast body suspended in space, facing the viewer. The diptych reinforces this sense of scale. Two separate sections come together to form a creature that seems to continue beyond the physical boundaries of the artwork. The Whale Called Lisa becomes a portrait of presence, inviting the viewer to remain in front of it and experience the quiet intensity of being looked back at.
About the Artist
Josefina Herz
Nationality: Argentine
Animals are at the center of my practice, not only because of the emotions they evoke in me, but because they offer a powerful way to explore...
