Page 68 - Studio International - June 1970
P. 68
Ivor Abrahams's or hedge which demarcates the space and Edmund Burke's 'An Enquiry Into The
implies its further extension. And I attempt to Beautiful And The Sublime'. I'm interested
`Garden suite' render these qualities with added definition in the ordinary and what can be extra-
ordinary about it. My feelings for landscape
in the print. I am, finally, interested in
creating something which is mysterious. finally lead me to selecting the image. I have
I use broad masses of colour with the intention made a note which forms a background to my
IVOR ABRAHAMS'S SUITE OF FIVE IMAGES
of illuminating the subject, yet still preserving intentions. It reads:
IS PUBLISHED BY BERNARD JACOBSON,
its photographic quality. With these two `All walks should lead to some conspicuous
LONDON, IN AN EDITION OF 75, EACH PRINT
objectives in mind I get a super-essential idea objects at the farther end of the walk, and
£50. THEY ARE CURRENTLY AT RICHARD
...I would say perhaps that the colour facing it, so as to appear to belong to it—such
FEIGEN, NEW YORK.
celebrates the subject; it sort of enables me to as a seat, alcove, gate, statue, or fountain, etc.'
heighten it. Sometimes we sandwich a half- In the prints I try to embellish the photograph
tone over colour but with a translucent colour which already has an atmosphere of its own—
over the top. It's a question of breakdown... usually strong—with another, an artificial one
it's not the sort of colour a painter would if you like. Also with them—as with my
The prints are really composite renderings, apply to subjects. sculpture— there is a preoccupation with
made finally as colour enlargements of the I've been keen on de Chirico for a number of irony; they can be seen as a number of
montage idea. Really it's done in collabora- years and in particular with the way in which double-takes on different levels : about modern
tion, and a question of deciding what colours he emerged with a fully individual style... free-standing sculpture, about the print itself.
to use; and I enjoy the detachment of this. I and there's also the enigmatic quality to his In the end the viewer does not have a clear
think I quite enjoy the fact that my material work. I would not, however, call or cate- idea whether I'm serious or not. Even for
is a limited one and has to be handed over to gorize myself as a Surrealist. In these prints myself it is equivocal.
the printer—so that between us we can do there is no obvious allusion to Surrealism— Finally, print-making is not an independent
something else. It's very nice to rely on the its methods of composition, that is. Rather, concern but stems from my sculpture, and
printers ... and, of course, there's a great deal I'm interested in the metaphysical properties leads to further ideas and explorations in
of experience there. I have the roughest of of landscape, of atmosphere. I draw a great terms of texture, spatial arrangements and
ideas or sketches in my mind from the start, deal on the history of large garden avenues, impact with regard to the sculpture itself.
and the element of surprise from the end and the eighteenth century made this into an Though the presence and impact of sculpture
product interests me. But from the beginning art form—although it is not usually considered is very different from the two-dimensional
the subject is simple and direct. I'm interested in this way. The way in which they ordered graphic impact. q
in landscapes and their qualities, distinct and used space interests me because they went IVOR ABRAHAMS
areas of texture, movements into space and to a great deal of trouble to get the effects
depth through something obvious like a fence they desired. I've also been interested in [Illustration page 298]
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