The Roots of the Past

This surreal illustration by Nicole Natri captures the concepts of family and the deep roots of the past. It was published in The Times Book Review with an article on the novel “The Past,” January 22, 2016. The image is part of our collection of editorial illustrations being offered for the first time ever to the public as unframed or framed fine-art prints.

“The Past” was Tessa Hadley’s sixth novel and eighth book of fiction. Book reviewer Fernanda Eberstadt wrote, “The point about the past, in Hadley’s fiction, is that it’s always there to trip you up. Your parents (whether dead or alive), your siblings (whether successful or resentfully needy) will inevitably threaten to suck you back into that sticky-sweet limbo of childhood myth and trauma.”

Artist Nicole Natri lives and works in Sweden. Through an all-collage technique, using old paper cuts, Nicole layers images to tell her stories. Her work resembles that of a scenographer, patiently adding pieces to the scenery. The act of play and playing is an important part of her work, and helps to interpret and comprehend the many layers within people. Her clients include The New York Times, Buzzfeed, HarperCollins and Little, Brown and Company.