Dimensions: object: 90 x 222 x 154 mm object: 60 x 120 x 100 mm object: 65 x 55 x 93 mm
Copyright: © DACS, 2014 | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This is Jean Arp's "Sculpture to be Lost in the Forest," currently residing at the Tate. It looks like cast bronze, and it's rather small. The forms remind me of river stones, smooth and comforting. What do you make of this playful title? Curator: Ah, yes! "Lost in the Forest"... it's delightfully Arp, isn't it? I imagine him chuckling, picturing his biomorphic shapes nestled amongst the trees, becoming one with nature. The smoothness, the gentle curves – it's almost womb-like, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Womb-like, yes! It feels very organic. So, it’s about returning to nature? Curator: Precisely! It challenges the stark geometry of so much sculpture. Arp seeks to mirror the forms found in nature, to remind us of our connection to the earth. A reminder we often need, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Absolutely. I’ll think of this little bronze whenever I'm in the woods next. Curator: And perhaps leave a little art of your own behind!
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/arp-sculpture-to-be-lost-in-the-forest-t04854
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In the 1920s and 1930s Arp developed a type of biomorphic sculpture that suggested a parallel between artistic creativity and creation in nature. The shapes in his work evoke worn pebbles, buds and other natural forms. He created these sculptures using a quasi-automatic process of sanding away at a plaster model until he was satisfied with the shape. ‘I work until enough of my life has flowed into its body’, he said. His efforts to link his work with nature included placing sculptures in the forest near his home at Meudon, where they could be discovered by unsuspecting passers-by. Gallery label, November 2012
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