Dame Barbara Hepworth

(British, 1903-1975)

Miniature Divided Circle 21.8 cm. (8 1/2 in.) high (including the base)

Footnotes

Provenance
With Gimpel Fils, London, where acquired by the family of the present owner
Private Collection, U.K.

In 1967, in a letter to the artist Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth wrote that 'so much depends, in sculpture, on what one wants to see through a hole! Maybe in a big work I want to see the sun or moon. In a smaller work I may want to lean in the hole ... It is the physical sensation of piercing and sight which I want.' (letter, 22 dec. 1967, TGA 8717.1.1.371) Miniature Divided Circle is a consummate example of Hepworth's later small, pierced works in bronze. The sculpture is made up of two semi-circular pierced forms, seemingly in dialogue with each other. Though placed at slightly differing angles on their plinth, with one marginally taller than the other, the two elements are united in their asymmetry. Two halves of a whole, balanced in their irregularity, divided by the chasm of negative space between them. Though empty, this space feels pregnant with connection, as though these shapes are like magnets being drawn towards each other.

The semi-circle was a shape that Hepworth came back to again and again between 1969-72. A well-known example of this can be found in the large mural sculpture situated at the head offices of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society in Cheltenham, titled Theme and Variation, 1970. In the present work, each semi-circular form is pierced by a rounded hole, on one side accompanied by a repeated, smaller semi-circular concavity, and the other surrounded by an oval. These interior spaces are dressed in a beautiful stippled blue patina, which contrasts strikingly with the brilliant gold of the polished surfaces surrounding them. Space is at the crux of this sculpture; through the relief of the concavities, which draw the viewers eye in and through; through the reflective surface of the polished elements, which adds yet another dimension to one's interaction with the work; and finally through viewing the work in the round. As is the case with many of Hepworth's sculpture, both small and large-scale, there is not one set viewpoint from which to view the work, each new angle offers up more to observe, more interactions to find between the two forms, between the positive and negative space, and between the viewer and the sculpture.

Though Hepworth saw her smaller sculptures as complete works in themselves, (she insisted that her maquettes could not simply be scaled up and enlarged (Mullins, 1967, p.21)), Miniature Divided Circle is closely related to the monumental work Two Forms (Divided Circle). This reworking of a single idea or concept was common, particularly in her later work, as were small-scale sculptures, often made up of a number of elements such as this. However, as with differing materials, size also dictated the treatment and colour Hepworth chose for her works. In the present work, Hepworth has chosen to use this beautiful teal blue patina for the interior concavities, creating depth against the shining polished surfaces, which is so well-suited to these small-scale bronzes.

By the conception of Miniature Divided Circle in 1971, Hepworth was already very familiar with working in bronze, which she began experimenting with in 1956. After initially believing that the material was at odds with her practice, and her search for 'truth in material', she soon became enamoured with the possibilities that bronze provided. As a carver first and foremost, the discovery of a way in which to bring together carving and casting in her work saw a distinct shift in her practice. Not only was she able to explore a more monumental scale, but it also meant that she was also able to increase her output in response to demand for her work, through the production of multiples. But working in bronze meant collaborating with foundries. Over the course of her career, Hepworth worked with four different foundries to produce her sculptures, but it was Morris Singer who she would choose to work exclusively with from 1963 until her death in 1975. She established a very close working relationship with the foundry and its manager, Eric Gibbard, which became fundamental to the success of her bronzes and the casting process.

We are grateful to Dr Sophie Bowness for her assistance with the cataloguing apparatus for this work.