Small Luxury II (Original Work) by Josefina Herz
Explore Mondoir Studio
Medium: Dry pastel and graphite on textured paper
Dimensions: 24 x 31 cm
Year: 2026
Price: $350.00 USD
Status: available
"I transform the strength and subtlety of the animal kingdom into a visual luxury, where nature becomes art. The leopard, the protagonist of this collection, embodies that dual nature: the wild and the refined. Since ancient times, its skin was reserved for rituals and high status—in Egypt, it dressed priests as an emblem of the divine, and in West Africa, it became an insignia of kings and warriors. Today, its image continues to resonate as a symbol of exclusivity and power—a luxury that transcends the material and anchors itself in the realm of the symbolic. In every stroke, animal beauty is elevated into an aesthetic experience that invites you to contemplate the untamed as a visual treasure."
Why collect this work?
A tightly cropped leopard and its broad shadow turn a naturalistic animal study into a contrast between intricate surface and simplified presence.
- In her statement, Herz describes hyperrealism as a starting point that can shift toward abstraction. Here, the rosettes nearly become an independent pattern while the profile remains immediately legible.
- In the photograph, the leopard enters from the right and faces a largely empty field. Its diagonal shadow doubles the cropped body as a blunt silhouette, making stillness feel alert and directional.
- Catalogue metadata identifies dry pastel and graphite on textured paper. Fine lines articulate whiskers and facial contours, while broader tonal handling separates the shadow from the spotted coat. The photograph does not establish exact colour or physical texture.
- Measuring 24 by 31 centimetres, the work compresses close observation and graphic reduction into a small format. It supports consideration of how contemporary drawing can move between animal likeness, decorative pattern and the evidentiary ambiguity of a shadow.
About the Artist
Josefina Herz
Josefina Herz is an artist on Mondoir Studio. Artistic discipline: painting. Based in Navidad, CL.
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...
