Chaim Gross — Study for Acrobats (1948)

Chaim Gross, Study for Acrobats (1948)

Date: 1948
Medium: Pen and Ink
Dimensions: 11 x 8 in.
Signature: right bottom "Chaim Gross"

This refined line drawing presents a column of three female figures, each rendered with Gross’s unmistakable economy of line and graceful stylization. The figures balance atop one another in a slow upward progression, their rounded forms and confident poses creating a sense of lift and continuity. Subtle shifts in contour and gesture suggest motion while maintaining the delicate stillness characteristic of Gross’s draftsmanship.

The vertical composition emphasizes harmony and interdependence, echoing the sculptural stacking found in several of Gross’s three-dimensional works from this period. Held in the VLAF – Velvet Foundation for the Arts Collection, the piece offers insight into Gross’s evolving approach to figure studies in the late 1940s.