Henry Moore
Reclining Figure
1938
Not on View
Ben Nicholson
February 1956
In the early 1930s, Ben Nicholson began carving reliefs. By 1934 they were composed of circular and rectilinear elements that he painted white. When Nicholson returned to this expressive form in the mid-1950s, his reliefs became subtly varied in coloration and texture. The present example is particularly severe. The absence of curved or diagonal lines recalls the work of Piet Mondrian, whom Nicholson knew and admired. The muted, chalky color evokes early Italian Renaissance frescoes and shards of classical pottery. The parenthetical menhir in the title refers to the simple prehistoric stone slabs, an association reinforced by the vertical format and the hewn monochromatic surface of the board. The seemingly simple balance of shape, proportion, and placement is skillfully achieved to produce a work of austere harmony.
On view
Artist | Ben Nicholson |
Date | February 1956 |
Medium | Oil (and ink?) on pressboard |
Dimensions | 99.4 x 30 cm |
Credit line | Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice (Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York) |
Accession | 76.2553 PG 46 |
Collection | Peggy Guggenheim Collection |
Type | Painting |
Copy caption
On view
Henry Moore
1938
Not on View
Alberto Giacometti
1931–32
Not on View
Unrecorded Bamana artist
first half of 20th century
Not on View
Tancredi Parmeggiani
1951–52
Not on View