Jean (Hans) Arp - Manicure-Relief - 1930 - The Art Institute of Chicago
October 24, 2018
October 24, 2018
Jean (Hans) Arp was a German-French sculptor, painter, collagist, poet, and collaborator who cultivated a practice simultaneously and equally existing alongside the Dadaist, Surrealist, and abstract artists of his age. Having co-founded the Dada movement in Switzerland and eventually joining the Surrealists in Paris, Arp had an integral role in leading some of the most influential changes that were being implemented in early 20thcentury Europe. Throughout his career, Arp’s multi-faceted practice was consistently pushing boundaries both in terms of materials and end product.
In 1930, just before Arp's work shifted almost exclusively into the practice of free-standing sculptures, Arp crafted one of his iconic wood-cut reliefs, tilted, Manicure-Relief. Hanging on the wall of the The Art Institute of Chicago (AIC), the small white object, is generally easy to overlook.
In the AIC, the work is hung uncomfortably high, positioned well out of any human’s eye level. But after encountering its witty title, the abstraction comes into realization and instantly demands a certain degree of reexamination and understanding. Once an ambiguous cut form placed on the wall, the piece becomes its title and the impression of a perfectly manicured hand is all that can be seen.
-ARO INSPO