Relief 1082 range : Rosenthal Relief Series

Edwin John Victor Pasmore 1908 - 22 Jan 1998

Summary

Cast white porcelain relief, comprising flat square tile with projecting rectangular block in centre of lower half, wedge-shaped section removed from front of block giving triangular groove. Horizontal black enamelled stripe above projecting block, reaching towards left side of tile, lower half of left side panel painted black. Narrow incised vertical lines to front panel, one along upper half of left side, one along lower half of right side, both filled in with black enamel. Plain curved incised line from midpoint of right side, curving round towards bottom of tile, stopping just short of edge. Tile mounted on large white square ground with plain wood frame. Reliefs are shallow wall-mounted sculptures. In 1964 German porcelain manufacturers, Rosenthal, commissioned over 20 British and European artists to create designs for contemporary sculpture reliefs. They were produced under the theme 'Image and Sculpture in Space' and became known as 'The Rosenthal Relief Series'. By using a fine but inexpensive material like porcelain and producing them in limited editions of 50, high quality sculptures were made more affordable. The relationship between art and industry and breaking down the allure of the unique object also interested British abstract artist, Victor Pasmore. His relief has a simple, abstract harmony and purity which echoes his hand-made, painted constructions with their geometric shapes, free of any associations. Yet undermining this dry, intellectual concept is the whimsical curved line and projected lip form.