On view
British, 1903–1975
Square Forms with Circles, 1963
Bronze
8 ft. 6 in. x 58 in. x 27 3/4 in. (259.1 x 147.3 x 70.5 cm)
Gift of the Ralph E. Ogden Foundation
Barbara Hepworth © Bowness
Photo by Jerry L. Thompson
Hepworth often talked about her interest in the figure in landscape, but she never represented actual objects or people. The abstract works instead become something like figures. In Square Forms with Circles, for example, the subtle placement of the square and rectangular forms and their delicately scraped and carved surfaces convey a mysterious personality. Placed in natural settings, her sculptures create a contrast between the geometry of their clear edges and nature’s curving shapes and lines.