Flower and leaf suggest contrasting states of health. The hollow cone-shaped cyclamen hovers like a heavy torso on a delicate stalk, while the dark shadow of a leaf, all jagged edges, falls backward in an unbalanced and awkward manner. The flower is round, full-bodied and about to burst into life. The slender, spiky leaf seems more absent than present, a black hole on a downward spiral. There are no halftones to lighten the extremes.