Sun and Marble 1971

Editor: Here we have Dame Barbara Hepworth’s "Sun and Marble," a print from the Tate collection. It's quite striking, with its spheres floating against an abstract background. What visual cues or recurring motifs do you observe in this work? Curator: Consider the spheres themselves. Circularity, across cultures, often signifies wholeness, the infinite. In this context, how might these orbs, combined with the title's "sun" and "marble," speak to the interplay of celestial and earthly realms? Editor: That’s a fascinating connection! It makes me think of ancient symbols, like the sun disc representing divinity. Curator: Precisely! Hepworth, known for her sculptures, translates that tactile quality into printmaking. Do you see how the textures evoke a sense of the tangible, almost like we could reach out and touch these forms? Editor: Yes, the texture definitely adds depth. I never considered how it relates to her sculpture work. Curator: It all points toward this tension between the abstract and the real, the ethereal and the material, a visual echo across cultures and time. Editor: Thank you, I see it now. This helps me see the underlying symbols in her abstract forms.