'Gertrude Stein - Rose' is an open edition, illustrative literary print by New York City based creative studio 'Obvious State'. This artwork is printed on heavy premium 270 gsm Fine Art paper with an elegant eggshell finish.

"Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose." - Gertrude Stein from her poem, Sacred Emily. 

The rose, rich with meaning and cultural weight, has become somewhat of a polarizing object. One either looks forward to receiving a dozen roses and sees it as a grand romantic gesture, or gets hives at the prospect of receiving a handful of cliches. Either way, it’s not the actual rose we are responding to.

Gertrude Stein saw the way that this kind of symbolic baggage tended to weigh down literature and the artistic process, locking the writer into certain choices dictated by the stifling stranglehold of cultural meaning. In an attempt to reclaim the word’s concrete truth and the actual objects they symbolize, she came up with the mantra-like phrase “rose is a rose is a rose” and repeated it in her work. We love the way it forces you to say the word over and over until it becomes almost strange, stripped bare to a series of sounds. In this illustration, the repeated word rose transforms into an image of a rose using the same ligatures of the original type - a nod to the mercurial nature of words as symbols. Sometimes a rose is a rose. It is what it is. 

Frame Details: We use sustainable wooden frames and glass, not fibreboard and acrylic which typically you find in 'off the shelf' frames. Unlike acrylic, glass does not lose its clarity over time and can be easily and safely cleaned. We have been successfully shipping ready to hang frames containing glass since we opened in 2005. There are two finishes to choose from: black or white.

For frame details click the ‘View Frame Details’ link above.

Packaging Details: We go to great lengths to ensure that your purchase arrives in perfect condition. We only use sturdy cardboard postal tubes and double walled cardboard boxes. We use as much recycled and recyclable material as possible, including newspapers from our coffee shop, Coffee Yard, to pack our boxes.

Delivery Details: Unframed prints come flat packed. Place your order by 3pm for same day dispatch. Next day delivery is available at checkout. For full delivery information, including cost, click the ‘Delivery Information’ link above.