Dimensions: object: 156 x 38 x 32 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Henri Gaudier-Brzeska's small bronze sculpture, simply titled "Ornament," presents a striking angular figure. What are your immediate thoughts? Editor: Austere, almost severe. The geometric shapes create a sense of rigid monumentality despite the object’s intimate scale. Curator: Indeed, the material and its process are crucial here. Brzeska directly carved many of his sculptures, engaging intimately with the bronze. He was intensely interested in the physical act of making. Editor: And that directness is palpable. The interplay of positive and negative space, the rough-hewn finish—it all contributes to a raw, almost primal aesthetic. One could read the triangle as symbolic, perhaps referencing classical sculpture. Curator: Or perhaps critiquing it. Considering Brzeska's engagement with Vorticism, a movement embracing industrial energy, one can interpret this "Ornament" as a commentary on the commodification of art itself. Editor: Interesting how this small work encapsulates so much. Curator: A testament to Brzeska’s radical approach.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/gaudier-brzeska-ornament-t01097
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In this sculpture, Gaudier-Brzeska combines his interest in nature with the vorticist artists’ emphasis on the urban and industrial world. Animal forms are reduced to an assemblage of machine-like components, while their small scale suggests something portable, like a toy or even a weapon. Ornament is sometimes given the alternative title Torpedo Fish, referring to a species of fish that electrocutes its prey. It was made for the philosopher T E Hulme, for whom Gaudier-Brzeska also designed a brass knuckleduster. Gallery label, September 2024
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