Key influences on contemporary ceramic sculpture Barbara Hepworth

Barbara Hepworth was an English sculptor who pioneered British modern art, and her influence can still be seen today in contemporary ceramic sculpture and ceramic artwork. The work of ceramic artist Sarah Hillman is a notable example of this influence – to get a quick overview, try looking at her contemporary sculptures for sale at http://www.sarahhillmanceramics.com/. While Hillman is a dedicated ceramic artist producing ceramic artwork, it is the form of her pieces that are inspired by the work of Hepworth.

In her early career Hepworth commonly worked with materials such as marble and alabaster, and woods like mahogany, oak and teak. Later in her life she produced many fine statues in bronze. Unfortunately the increasing value of this metal in recent times resulted in the theft of her 1969 sculpture: ‘Two Forms (Divided Circle)’ from Dulwich Park in London, in 2010. It is suspected that this crime was committed by scrap metal thieves.

A contemporary of another giant of British modernist sculpture, Henry Moore, one of Hepworth’s most important innovations was the use of holes or piercing in sculpture. Indeed her ‘Pierced Form’, produced in 1931, is widely acknowledged to be the first British sculpture with a hole in it, although unfortunately this piece was destroyed during the Second World War. Contemporary ceramic artist Sarah Hillman has stated that the ‘beautiful pierced forms’ of Barbara Hepworth are one of the main influences in her ceramic artwork.

Moore and Hepworth were both born within five miles of each other in Wakefield, Yorkshire. It has been suggested that the driving focus on form, texture and shape that is evident in the work of both sculptors was the result the early childhood influence of the landscape of the Calder Valley.

However, much of Hepworth’s work is also characterised by a smooth and flowing finish that perhaps explains why the work of this sculptor could be so much of an influence on ceramic artwork, when Hepworth herself did not usually work with this medium.