Little Gilded Equinox

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

Inspired by the Jantar Mantar, a collection of 19 astronomical instruments built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II, completed in 1734, William Pye has described his sculpture Little Gilded Equinox as follows:
I have never been to Jaipur in India, but I have always been fascinated by photographs of the giant astrological instruments to be seen there, and certainly these images have contributed towards the formation of this and other sculptures. This is a very small version of a much larger piece where the light, flexible and tensile nature of stainless steel cable contrasts dramatically with the heavy, inert quality of fired clay cast into these forms, which are evocative of architecture and the rugged landscape of cliffs and plateaux. Anamorphism is the name given to an image which only appears correct from one viewpoint. Equinox bears an anamorphic projection of a circle which is only visible as such from one position.
This piece is representative of Pye’s early works in stone and metal, largely abstract with highly polished surfaces and simple forms. In the 1970s, he explored kineticism, incorporating naturally reflective surfaces to reveal the interplay of movement and light. Since then, water has dominated his practice and from the 1980s onwards he has created a series of spectacular site-specific water based installations in the UK and around the world.

Born in London, William Pye studied at the Wimbledon School of Art (1958-61) and Royal College of Art (1961-65). After graduating, he had an eight-year series of solo exhibitions at the Redfern Gallery, London. Numerous commissions followed and he took the decision to concentrate on large-scale work that was not suitable for exhibiting in galleries, saying that 'consequently I decided from then on to work independently', mainly outside the gallery system. In the 1960s and 1970s he taught in London at the Central School of Art and at Goldsmiths' College of Art; and also at Norwich School of Art, and in the USA as Visiting Professor at California State University. Since the late 1970s he has concentrated on his public and private commissions. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from International Art Consultants in 2004.

Places

Subjects

abstract, equinox

Materials & Techniques

gold leaf, bronze, wire

Artist

William Pye (1938 - )

Title

Little Gilded Equinox

Edition

2/6

Date

1985

Medium

Bronze, wire and gold leaf

Dimensions

height: 11.00 cm, width: 20.70 cm, depth: 11.50 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from the artist via the Contemporary Art Society market, October 1985

Inscription

VERSO: PYE | UNDER BASE: Little Equinox / Pye 1985 / 2-6

GAC number

16421/C