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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