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Lot Essay
TO BE INCLUDED IN THE REVISED EDITION OF THE BARBARA HEPWORTH CATALOGUE RAISONNé BEING PREPARED BY SIR ALAN BOWNESS.
"I CANNOT WRITE ANYTHING ABOUT LANDSCAPE WITHOUT WRITING ABOUT THE HUMAN FIGURE AND HUMAN SPIRIT INHABITING THE LANDSCAPE. FOR ME, THE WHOLE ART OF SCULPTURE IS THE FUSION OF THESE TWO ELEMENTS - THE BALANCE OF SENSATION AND EVOCATION OF MAN IN THIS UNIVERSE." (BARBARA HEPWORTH CITED IN: A. BOWNESS, BARBARA HEPWORTH: DRAWINGS FROM A SCULPTOR'S LANDSCAPE, LONDON 1966, P. 9).
BARBARA HEPWORTH'S OBSESSION WITH THE STANDING FIGURE IN THE LANDSCAPE WAS THE RESULT OF A STRONG PERSONAL AND EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO THE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CORNISH LANDSCAPE, IN WHICH SHE LIVED FROM THE EARLY 1940S UNTIL HER DEATH IN 1975. IN CORNWALL, THE HORIZON IS DOMINATED BY THE SILHOUETTES OF ABANDONED TIN MINES, WHILE ITS MOORS ARE DOTTED WITH MANY PREHISTORIC STONES STANDING UPRIGHT AMIDST A FLAT WILDERNESS. BOTH SPEAK OF AN ANCIENT HUMAN PRESENCE, THAT IN THEIR SHAPE RELATE CLOSELY TO THE VERTICAL FORMS OF HEPWORTH'S SCULPTURE.
"I'VE COME TO LOVE THIS LANDSCAPE AND DON'T WANT TO LEAVE IT. ANY STONE STANDING IN THE HILLS HERE IS A FIGURE, BUT YOU HAVE TO GO FURTHER THAN THAT. WHAT FIGURE? AND WHICH COUNTENANCE? TO RESOLVE THE IMAGE SO THAT IT HAS SOMETHING AFFIRMATIVE TO SAY IS TO MY MIND THE ONLY POINT. THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY CREED. I LIKE TO DREAM OF THINGS RISING FROM THE GROUND." (OP. CIT., P. 13)
SUNION IS JUST SUCH A FIGURE. EXECUTED IN 1960, ITS CARVED FORMS ECHO BOTH THE GRAIN OF ITS WOOD AND THE PROPORTIONS OF THE HUMAN FIGURE. ALTHOUGH MADE OF ELM WOOD, ITS SILHOUETTE IS SIMILAR TO THE KIND OF NEOLITHIC MENHIR THAT HEPWORTH KNEW FROM THE CORNISH LANDSCAPE. THIS GIVES THE SCULPTURE A POWERFUL SENSE OF MONUMENTALITY, BUT THIS MOUNUMENTALITY IS DELIBERATELY COUNTERED BY THE SLIGHTLY TWISTED AND INDENTED CARVED FORMS WHICH HEIGHTEN THE SENSE OF VITALITY IN THE LIVING QUALITY OF THE WOOD AND FORCE OF ITS UPWARD GROWTH. SUNION FUSES THE HUMAN FORM AND SPIRIT WITH THE GROWTH AND VITALITY OF A TREE AND THE MONUMENTALITY AND PERMANENCE OF STONE.
"IT IS DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE IN WORDS THE MEANING OF FORMS BECAUSE IT IS PRECISELY THIS EMOTION WHICH IS CONVEYED BY SCULPTURE ALONE. OUR SENSE OF TOUCH IS A FUNDAMENTAL SENSIBILITY WHICH COMES INTO ACTION AT BIRTH - OUR STEREOGNOSTIC SENSE - THE ABILITY TO FEEL WEIGHT AND FORM AND ASSESS ITS SIGNIFICANCE... . IN ALL THESE SHAPES THE TRANSLATION OF WHAT ONE FEELS ABOUT MAN AND NATURE MUST BE CONVEYED BY THE SCULPTOR IN TERMS OF MASS, INNER TENSION AND RHYTHM, SCALE IN RELATION TO OUR HUMAN SIZE AND THE QUALITY OF SURFACE WHICH SPEAKS THROUGH OUR HANDS AS WELL AS EYES." (AS CITED IN: EXH. CAT., WHITECHAPEL ART GALLERY, LONDON, BARBARA HEPWORTH - AN EXHIBITION OF SCULPTURE FROM 1952-1962, 1962.)
"I CANNOT WRITE ANYTHING ABOUT LANDSCAPE WITHOUT WRITING ABOUT THE HUMAN FIGURE AND HUMAN SPIRIT INHABITING THE LANDSCAPE. FOR ME, THE WHOLE ART OF SCULPTURE IS THE FUSION OF THESE TWO ELEMENTS - THE BALANCE OF SENSATION AND EVOCATION OF MAN IN THIS UNIVERSE." (BARBARA HEPWORTH CITED IN: A. BOWNESS, BARBARA HEPWORTH: DRAWINGS FROM A SCULPTOR'S LANDSCAPE, LONDON 1966, P. 9).
BARBARA HEPWORTH'S OBSESSION WITH THE STANDING FIGURE IN THE LANDSCAPE WAS THE RESULT OF A STRONG PERSONAL AND EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO THE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CORNISH LANDSCAPE, IN WHICH SHE LIVED FROM THE EARLY 1940S UNTIL HER DEATH IN 1975. IN CORNWALL, THE HORIZON IS DOMINATED BY THE SILHOUETTES OF ABANDONED TIN MINES, WHILE ITS MOORS ARE DOTTED WITH MANY PREHISTORIC STONES STANDING UPRIGHT AMIDST A FLAT WILDERNESS. BOTH SPEAK OF AN ANCIENT HUMAN PRESENCE, THAT IN THEIR SHAPE RELATE CLOSELY TO THE VERTICAL FORMS OF HEPWORTH'S SCULPTURE.
"I'VE COME TO LOVE THIS LANDSCAPE AND DON'T WANT TO LEAVE IT. ANY STONE STANDING IN THE HILLS HERE IS A FIGURE, BUT YOU HAVE TO GO FURTHER THAN THAT. WHAT FIGURE? AND WHICH COUNTENANCE? TO RESOLVE THE IMAGE SO THAT IT HAS SOMETHING AFFIRMATIVE TO SAY IS TO MY MIND THE ONLY POINT. THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY CREED. I LIKE TO DREAM OF THINGS RISING FROM THE GROUND." (OP. CIT., P. 13)
SUNION IS JUST SUCH A FIGURE. EXECUTED IN 1960, ITS CARVED FORMS ECHO BOTH THE GRAIN OF ITS WOOD AND THE PROPORTIONS OF THE HUMAN FIGURE. ALTHOUGH MADE OF ELM WOOD, ITS SILHOUETTE IS SIMILAR TO THE KIND OF NEOLITHIC MENHIR THAT HEPWORTH KNEW FROM THE CORNISH LANDSCAPE. THIS GIVES THE SCULPTURE A POWERFUL SENSE OF MONUMENTALITY, BUT THIS MOUNUMENTALITY IS DELIBERATELY COUNTERED BY THE SLIGHTLY TWISTED AND INDENTED CARVED FORMS WHICH HEIGHTEN THE SENSE OF VITALITY IN THE LIVING QUALITY OF THE WOOD AND FORCE OF ITS UPWARD GROWTH. SUNION FUSES THE HUMAN FORM AND SPIRIT WITH THE GROWTH AND VITALITY OF A TREE AND THE MONUMENTALITY AND PERMANENCE OF STONE.
"IT IS DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE IN WORDS THE MEANING OF FORMS BECAUSE IT IS PRECISELY THIS EMOTION WHICH IS CONVEYED BY SCULPTURE ALONE. OUR SENSE OF TOUCH IS A FUNDAMENTAL SENSIBILITY WHICH COMES INTO ACTION AT BIRTH - OUR STEREOGNOSTIC SENSE - THE ABILITY TO FEEL WEIGHT AND FORM AND ASSESS ITS SIGNIFICANCE... . IN ALL THESE SHAPES THE TRANSLATION OF WHAT ONE FEELS ABOUT MAN AND NATURE MUST BE CONVEYED BY THE SCULPTOR IN TERMS OF MASS, INNER TENSION AND RHYTHM, SCALE IN RELATION TO OUR HUMAN SIZE AND THE QUALITY OF SURFACE WHICH SPEAKS THROUGH OUR HANDS AS WELL AS EYES." (AS CITED IN: EXH. CAT., WHITECHAPEL ART GALLERY, LONDON, BARBARA HEPWORTH - AN EXHIBITION OF SCULPTURE FROM 1952-1962, 1962.)