Sir Anthony Caro OM

Description

Brilliant yellow against the verdant surroundings, the smooth curves of Eastern immediately attract the eye. Created from sheet steel that was bent, cut and welded to form a triumphant variety of shapes, Eastern creates a startling juxtaposition of angles and curves. Standing at over two metres, this work is at once imposing and inviting. Though this large abstract forms an alien and unnameable whole, it draws the viewer towards it with its startling colour. The arches and bowls soften the exact edges and the overall effect of the work is one of warmth. Eastern is filled with hollows and hidden facets that create intricacy by a combination of simple forms.

Whilst this work is primarily abstract, there are recognisable forms implied within its structure. From one side, perhaps, a bowl, from another a torch cup waiting to be filled with flame, from another a lectern or a scroll. The essence of this work means that the viewer can imbue it with whatever symbolism they wish; it is a paradise of personal perception. A sense of rolling movement is inherent in the work and this could, perhaps, imply a journey and the title, Eastern, therefore, refer to the direction taken or travelled from. The vivid yellow of the work could imply sunlight, and the fractured colours that appear at either end of the day. Eastern, in that case, would imply the sunrise and the birth of a new day, the vigorous yellow of beginnings and energy. In this sense, perhaps we can read the bowl-like form as the sun, whilst the arch to its left might become a hillside, or a chart of its path through the day.