WORK OF THE WEEK : Barbara Hepworth, ‘Aegean’, 1956

Barbara Hepworth
Aegean, 1956
Bronze
27.9 x 22.9 x 27.9 cm
11 x 9⅛ x 11 in.
Edition 6 of 6

Despite its name, which may well come from Barbara Hepworth's transformative trip to Greece in 1954, Aegean (1956) is deeply inspired by her experience of the Cornish coast. Having moved to Cornwall at the outbreak of the Second World War and living in St Ives, she developed a fascination with wave power, tidal movement, and the relationship between land, sea, form, and sculpture.

The dynamic reaching curves of Aegean captures the energy of the waves, whilst the glowing grey and green patination is distinctly reminiscent of Cornish waters.

Sculpted at a pivotal moment in Hepworth's life, Aegean is characteristic of the year that she returned to casting in bronze. During this period, she used files and abrasives to mark the surfaces of her sculptures and evoke her language of carving.

In her autobiography, Hepworth wrote about her experience of
St Ives:

"For twenty-five years, walking through these streets, I have felt through my feet the geological shape of the place. The aerial view proved to me my point; It is through our senses that form, colour and meaning are given to everything we make and do...

...The incoming and receding tides made strange and wonderful calligraphy on the pale granite sand that sparkled with felspar and mica. The rich mineral deposits of Cornwall were apparent on the very surface of things; geology and pre-history."