Oriforme c. 1962 - 1977

Jean Arp cast this large abstract sculpture in aluminum, giving it a polished silvery surface. Imagine Arp, in his studio, coaxing these curvaceous forms into being. There’s a real sense of playful exploration in his work, like he's improvising with shapes, letting one curve suggest the next. I'd imagine the material’s coolness might have presented a challenge. It looks heavy! It reminds me of some of my own working processes. I have often thought of how working sculpturally can inform one's painting: balancing intention with chance, working into a form, seeing what happens, and allowing the unexpected to guide your hand. Arp and other artists are always in conversation across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. His embodied expression embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations. I think there is no fixed reading of any artwork but instead a constant sense of discovery.