The egg – studying shapes

Every day we hold a symbol of life in our hands or enjoy it on our plates. The egg. The egg is a symbol of fertility, in which we have the potential of life before us, because the egg carries within itself the potential for new life. For us as artists, the egg is especially interesting in its form because it has a fascinating shape when we look at it closely.

An egg is something unique, there’s no geometric description except to say it is egg-shaped. An egg has a more pointed end on one side and a softer, rounded end on the other. Of course, the top is also round, but it’s more converging. Also, no two eggs are alike and there are quite different sizes depending on which bird an egg comes from.
The largest egg is that of the ostrich. These are huge eggs, corresponding to the fact that the egg produces a huge animal. On the other hand, there are tiny mini bird eggs. Especially in the springtime, when every now and then a broken egg fallen from a nest is lying on the street, we see how small certain eggs can be. The one we know best is the chicken egg. We probably have that in use every day in some form or another, as a breakfast egg, in cooking, or for baking. But no matter what kind, they all have that unique egg shape.

Of course, what’s inside the egg is also interesting. That’s another fantastic shape because we can visually distinguish between the egg white and the egg yolk. On the left and right side, the egg yolk is held in place by the chalaza, a set of protein strings, so the yolk stays in the middle. This is a wonderful situation because otherwise the yolk would be anywhere. With older eggs, more often when you cook them, you often see how the chalaza is softened and the yolk strays from the center. If you crack the shell and put the egg in a pan or bowl, you can see exactly where the chalaza is. Watch how the egg white flows out and note the position of the yolk.

Also note how it shines, it has a very shiny surface. The fresher the egg, the more clearly defined the shape of the egg white. It’s not as runny but has a relatively compact structure in that jelly-like, gelatinous egg-white-existence. It’s different again when the egg is boiled. If you peel the hardboiled egg and then split it in the middle, the egg white has a very different shape and color than as a raw egg and so does the yolk.

There are several steps to work with the egg in this impulse. In the beginning, study the egg in its outer form. It’s especially attractive if you study several eggs next to each other. If you’ve been successful, you can crack the egg. Thereby the shell in itself provides an interesting shape, with the lines where its broken. So, study the empty eggshell, without the egg white and yolk, only the shell with these break lines.

The next step is to study the egg in its raw state, the inside of the egg. With your drawing pen, study the yolk and the chalaza and the shape of the egg white. This is quite simple, don’t think too complicated! A round shape for the yolk, an outline for the egg white, and white lines where the protein strings hold it together.
Maybe a hint of gloss in the yolk. Nothing more. Then, study a hardboiled egg you cut in half. Finally, study an egg cutter. You know, this wire thing that cuts eggs into many thin slices. There are wonderful lines in these wire strings that divide the egg. That provides fantastic lines for us to draw. Also, the shape of the cutter itself is interesting. If you want to try painting as well, you can paint fried eggs and spinach. So, a plate with spinach and a fried egg on it.

Of course, as you draw, the thought of what potential of life is in the egg will accompany you. Eggs are the food that contains all the proteins we need to live, all the essential amino acids. Unfortunately, it is sometimes discussed somewhat problematically, because of the cholesterol. In truth, the cholesterol in eggs is a very good one. And the essential amino acids contained in the egg are in a perfect ratio for the human body. So, it’s a very valuable food.

There are numerous folk cultural traditions and rituals surrounding the egg. However, this is a separate topic, in this impulse we will deal purely with the shape of the egg. The outer form, the inside of the raw version and the inside of the boiled version. It’s about basic shapes. The outline of the egg, the egg yolk, the egg white, the eggshell, the broken eggshell and the egg cutter.

I wish you a lot of joy and a beautiful drawing phase with this very fruitful, life-affirming food that nature gives us!