This image shows the initial phase of the triptych The Price of Eggs. The work is built up in a first layer of tempera – a traditional painting technique in which pigment is mixed with a binder such as egg yolk. This fast-drying, matte layer provides a stable base for further development in oil paint.
Each panel depicts an egg resting in the palm of a hand. The forms are already fully present; light, structure, and volume have been laid out as an underpainting. These elements will be refined and deepened in subsequent layers of oil paint.
The title The Price of Eggs suggests a symbolic or social meaning, which will unfold further as the work progresses.
