"For we have thought the longer thoughts, and gone the shorter way." - Ernest Hemingway
From his poem Chapter Heading.
In his earlier work, Hemingway experimented with the lean, muscular writing style he eventually distilled to what he referred to as "iceberg theory." That is, leave your meaning mostly beneath the surface.
We love this elegant aphorism for what remains unsaid, but our guess is that he was speaking broadly of humanity.
As human beings, we are capable of extraordinary creativity, wisdom and compassion. But we’re also capable of destruction, distrust and self-inflicted wounds.
In our illustration, we reimagined this contradiction in our nature as a flourishing tree with a tenuous foundation. From the top, it branches out in a hundred directions, each leaf taking the shape of an eye observing the world. But from the base, the trunk is displaced to form the blade of an axe - the source of its own potential destruction.
Special Offer: 3 Prints for 2!
Use code: 3PRINTS at checkout.
See all prints here
• 11x14 inch art print with white border
• Premium, fine art paper made in New York
• Elegant eggshell finish
• Ships in a a rigid, flat mailer. No need to unroll!
• Fits into standard 11x14 frames (or a 16x20 frame matted to 11x14)
Obvious State is a creative studio and publisher founded by Nichole and Evan Robertson in 2011.
We make bold, illustrated editions and art drawn from the classics.
Our books and prints are available in our shop and in bookstores and boutiques nationwide.
Our work has been featured at The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Writers Museum, The Emily Dickinson Museum, The Library of Congress, The Getty Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art and more.
Every piece is illustrated by Evan Robertson — a single artistic vision applied to some of the greatest works ever written.
Provocative visuals paired with punctuated language, full of surprising visual metaphors, subtext, and insider nudges.
Our pocket editions are portable art objects made to collect, share, and inspire moments of quiet reflection in an overstimulated digital world.
We’re drawn to language that has stood the test of time, insights that strike a chord, poetry that stretches the imagination, and philosophy that prompts critical thinking.
