Dimensions: support: 379 x 561 mm
Copyright: © Phyllida Barlow | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This is an untitled piece by Phyllida Barlow. It looks like ink on paper and the contrast is striking. What do you see in this work? Curator: The interplay of forms is particularly compelling. Note how Barlow uses rapid, gestural marks to construct volume, yet the negative space remains crucial. The structural relationship between the cylindrical form and the amorphous shape invites contemplation. Editor: So it’s less about what the objects *are* and more about how they relate formally? Curator: Precisely. Consider the density of the ink, how it creates a sense of weight and mass. The materiality itself becomes a subject, foregrounding the act of creation. Editor: I never thought about it that way! Curator: Formal analysis allows us to appreciate the artist’s decisions regarding line, shape, and composition, leading to a deeper understanding. Editor: That’s a helpful perspective. Thanks!
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Drawing is important in Barlow’s practice, and central to an understanding of her sculptural work. These drawings span a period of more than twenty years. They embody the same ambiguous nature as Barlow’s sculptures and represent the range of her sculptural vocabulary, which includes racks, arenas, greengrocer’s crates, crumpled canvases, strange furniture wrapped around with soft materials, and the layering, accumulation and juxtaposition of ambiguous objects and shapes. Made with thick, gestural brushstrokes, the drawings retain spontaneity of feeling and vitality. Across the group, similar marks are repeated and developed, suggesting solid forms and hinting at familiar shapes. Gallery label, October 2013
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