Stringed Figure (Curlew), Version II Possibly 1956 - 1959

Curator: Dame Barbara Hepworth's "Stringed Figure (Curlew), Version II" features bronze curves embracing taut strings. The interplay creates such a sense of airy tension. Editor: I find it surprisingly tactile. The bronze patina hints at the labor involved, the human hand shaping the metal. Curator: Hepworth's process involved both carving and stringing, a blending of traditional sculpture with more industrial techniques. It questions the hierarchy. Editor: Precisely! The strings, almost like drawn lines, redefine the solid form. The materiality is challenged by the spatial illusion. Curator: Right, the title alludes to a bird, perhaps referencing flight, freedom but also the cultural context of post-war Britain where industry influenced art. Editor: And the strings evoke musicality, as if the wind itself could play this sculpture, making it a product of its environment, both natural and fabricated. Curator: A beautiful merging of the abstract and the grounded. Editor: Indeed, it invites us to reconsider our relationship with the materials and their implications.