Jean (Hans) Arp
French, born Germany (Alsace), 1886–1966
 |
Constellation-Punctuation, 1956
Oil on wood
22 x 35 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches (55.9 x 90.8 x 3.8 cm)
Charles Clifton Fund, 1969
Jean (Hans) Arp created painted wood reliefs all his life. About his inspiration, he said, “The point of departure for a work of art can be provoked by a human being, an animal, a plant, a stone, an old board on which someone has scratched a few lines in passing: it is that ‘in passing’ which signifies the decisive moment, just as for the hunter the decisive moment is the one when he pulls the trigger.” In all of his work, the underlying theme is nature’s cycle of becoming, growth, change, and decay—the constant metamorphosis that occurs in the cycle of life. Arp began exploring the idea of constellations in the early 1930s, starting with a set number of elements and arranging them in different ways to create a certain rhythm and promote a dialogue among the forms. Arp’s use of the word “punctuation” in the title of this work adds a note of humor and perhaps validates our feeling that its forms strongly resemble periods and commas.
Today
Call Ahead to Confirm
Installation information is subject to change. If you are planning to visit the Gallery to see a specific work of art, please call us first to confirm that it will be on view.
716.882.8700 TEL
716.270.8297 TTY
Search our fine art Collection
The Albright-Knox has nearly 7,000 works in its Collection.
Search our Entire Fine Art Collection
