Lot Essay
The present work is a variation on Linear Construction in Space No. 1 (S. & L. 48) which marked a turning point in Gabo's oeuvre: "Linear Construction in Space No. 1 stands out as a breakthrough for Gabo in that it marked his transition to actual stringing from the incised lines in Crystal (S. & L. 41) and certain versions of Spheric Theme (S. & L. 37). Precedents exist for the use of strings and rods in modern sculptures, including, for example, the lines of force indicated by twine in Balla's 1915 Sculpture, the wire guy-lines in standing towers by the Stenbergs, the wire strings in Picasso's sheetmetal Guitar of 1912, and the welded rods in his famous Wire Construction of 1928...Gabo's use of stringing derives most probably from mathematical models" (S. A. Nash, 'Naum Gabo: Sculptures of Purity and Possibility', Exh. Cat., Naum Gabo, Sixty Years of Constructivism, Dallas, 1985, p. 37)
With the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, Gabo and his wife Miriam were persuaded by Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth to join them at Carbis Bay near St Ives. The Gabos arrived during the period which marks the high point of what is known as the 'St Ives School' and Gabo was to influence several members of the group, arguably most noticeably in the work of his friend Barbara Hepworth.
"In the first models for Linear Construction No. 1, thread was wound around small, square-shaped plastic frames. In larger versions Gabo used nylon filament, and the stringing became considerably more complex. Notches around the sides of a more streamlined framework keep the spacings absolutely precise and even. The taut nylon lines are all straight but converge in such as way as to form beautifully rounded curves - a strong elliptical void in the centre framed by strings intersecting into concave crevasses and convex roles. What was a plastic surface in earlier works becomes a virtual plane opened up by the strings to light and air. These 'surfaces' or linear directions, describe space folding in and out of itself and seeming, through radial patterns, to expand outward. Systems vary with the use of double stringing, or through variations in the framework as with the steps in Linear Construction No. 1 (Variation), or with a reversal of directions as with variations on the slightly later Suspended (S. & L. 70) theme. Where the strings overlap or are superimposed in different directions, a secondary image and reading of space is created" (S. A. Nash, op. cit., pp. 37-8).
The present work differs only slightly from Linear Construction in Space no. 1, as it has 'steps' of varying width, on two of the four sides. Sanderson and Lodder describe the present work as follows "this version has circa 115 notches down one side, and is strung down to the step. According to Miriam Gabo, it was made in 1950 and acquired by Bo Boustedt in 1969" (op. cit.).
"The nylon filament is reflective, so between the delicacy and openness of the stringing and the transparent and reflective materials, these works take on an intense luminosity. They are like instruments of light, as reflections play across the warping movement of their curves and project through the plastic end-pieces. The stringing also creates a heightened sense of extension and duration, making palpable the element of time. It is a device that Gabo would use consistently, with either nylon or thin metallic spring-wire, throughout the rest of his career" (S. A. Nash, ibid.).
The present work is one of eleven variants of Linear Construction in Space No. 1. Other examples are housed in the Tate Gallery, London (S. & L. 53.1), The Phillips Collection, Washington D. C. (S. & L. 53.2), the Portland Art Museum, Portland (S. & L. 53.4) and the Kunsthalle, Hamburg (S. & L. 53.10).
With the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, Gabo and his wife Miriam were persuaded by Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth to join them at Carbis Bay near St Ives. The Gabos arrived during the period which marks the high point of what is known as the 'St Ives School' and Gabo was to influence several members of the group, arguably most noticeably in the work of his friend Barbara Hepworth.
"In the first models for Linear Construction No. 1, thread was wound around small, square-shaped plastic frames. In larger versions Gabo used nylon filament, and the stringing became considerably more complex. Notches around the sides of a more streamlined framework keep the spacings absolutely precise and even. The taut nylon lines are all straight but converge in such as way as to form beautifully rounded curves - a strong elliptical void in the centre framed by strings intersecting into concave crevasses and convex roles. What was a plastic surface in earlier works becomes a virtual plane opened up by the strings to light and air. These 'surfaces' or linear directions, describe space folding in and out of itself and seeming, through radial patterns, to expand outward. Systems vary with the use of double stringing, or through variations in the framework as with the steps in Linear Construction No. 1 (Variation), or with a reversal of directions as with variations on the slightly later Suspended (S. & L. 70) theme. Where the strings overlap or are superimposed in different directions, a secondary image and reading of space is created" (S. A. Nash, op. cit., pp. 37-8).
The present work differs only slightly from Linear Construction in Space no. 1, as it has 'steps' of varying width, on two of the four sides. Sanderson and Lodder describe the present work as follows "this version has circa 115 notches down one side, and is strung down to the step. According to Miriam Gabo, it was made in 1950 and acquired by Bo Boustedt in 1969" (op. cit.).
"The nylon filament is reflective, so between the delicacy and openness of the stringing and the transparent and reflective materials, these works take on an intense luminosity. They are like instruments of light, as reflections play across the warping movement of their curves and project through the plastic end-pieces. The stringing also creates a heightened sense of extension and duration, making palpable the element of time. It is a device that Gabo would use consistently, with either nylon or thin metallic spring-wire, throughout the rest of his career" (S. A. Nash, ibid.).
The present work is one of eleven variants of Linear Construction in Space No. 1. Other examples are housed in the Tate Gallery, London (S. & L. 53.1), The Phillips Collection, Washington D. C. (S. & L. 53.2), the Portland Art Museum, Portland (S. & L. 53.4) and the Kunsthalle, Hamburg (S. & L. 53.10).