Just when I’m in
danger of becoming cynical that there is very little in the art world that has
not yet been done, I come upon this amazing artist: Eva Hild. This is my epiphany of the week (yes,
I have those every week). Her work is so exquisite, so delicate, and yet so
forceful, I would just like you all to contemplate on it. Aside from its
organic nature, it sort of sums up the idea of “positive and negative space” in
an amazing way.
The evolution of ceramic as fine art sculpture began in the
early 1900s with such artists as Joan Miró
(1893–1983) and Jean Arp (1888–1966), and Peter Voulkos (1904–2002) in the 1940s. It has
come full circle in the sculptures of Eva Hild. Hild is known for her ceramic
sculptures in highly finished white stoneware. Her work emphasizes her ideas
about the coalescence of inner and outer pressures, executed in highly organic
shapes. They reflect the angst of the 21st century, in which monetary,
societal, and political pressures affect everyone. They also reflect the idea
that the inner and outer worlds of human beings are connected through forms
that effortlessly define positive and negative space. Hild’s organic shapes
always sway in circular movements.
Hild lives and works in southwest Sweden. She studied at the
School of Design in Gothenburg. Her technique is comprised of painstaking
hand-building of forms. She slowly expands the form without use of an armature.
When the work is dry she polishes it with sandpaper to achieve a smooth surface
and incredibly defined lines. After the first firing, she polishes it further
and then fires it again at 1200 degrees Celsius (roughly 500 degrees). The last
step is to coat the works with silicate, a compound that is the base of glass
and bricks.
Other artists who come to mind when looking at Hild’s work:
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Ruth Duckworth (born 1919, Britain/US), Untitled, 1975. Porcelain, height: 14cm. Courtesy the artist. (8S-19413) |
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Jacques Lipchitz (1891–1973, Lithuania / US), Reclining Nude with Guitar, 1928. Marble, 41.6 x 70.3 x 34.3 cm. Museum of Modern Art, New York. © Estate of Jacques Lipchitz. (MOMA-S0755) |
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Kazuo Yagi (1918–1979, Japan), A Cloud Remembered, 1959. Ceramic, 22.6 x 21.5 x 24.8 cm. Museum of Modern Art, New York. © Estate of Kazuo Yagi. (MOMA-S1190) |
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Sugiura Yasuyoshi (born 1949, Japan), Fallen Camellia Flower, 2009. Glazed stoneware, 12.7 x 11.4 x 8.9 cm. Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA. © Sugiura Yasuyoshi. (WAM-823) |
Correlations to Davis
programs: A Personal Journey: 9.4; Exploring Visual Design: 1, 2, 12
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