Objects

The heading GWOŹDZIE DO TRUMNY [COFFIN NAILS] above the picture in uppercase does not seem to leave much room for interpretation. However, just like Teodor Bok’s other works, this still life with nails is a play on words and their hidden meanings. It is an illustration of the common Polish idiom: ``coffin nail`` meaning "critical final decision, action that ultimately leads to failure, disaster`` (Słownik Frazeologiczny Języka Polskiego).

The nail of disappointment and failure experienced by many of us, has many names, forms and dimensions. Bok creates a suggestive still life with nails of different sizes and kinds harmoniously scattered on the sheet. Looking from the left, we see a long, narrow, slightly crooked nail with a flat head, then a tack, a bent nail, a headless nail, a nail with two stems, and another, longer one, bent in half; a bit further on – two hooks: the one near to the right edge is square-shaped at its top. So accurately drawn, our ``Coffin nails`` enclosed by a thin, red frame are not only a graphically attractive composition, but also a warning and a memento mori.

Renata Piątkowska