Lot 2
  • 2

Charles Hadcock

bidding is closed

Description

  • Charles Hadcock
  • Folium
  • inscribed Hadcock, dated 2016 and numbered 1/3
  • bronze mounted on unique rock
  • 210 by 150 by 150cm.
  • 82 1/2 by 59 by 59in.

Catalogue Note

Folium has a double meaning; from the Latin for a leaf, it is commonly used to mean a thin layer or stratum in the geological sense but it also has a specific geometrical meaning that refers to a segment of a curve. Charles Hadcock alludes to both senses of the word in his bronze of the same title; designed with mathematical precision, the interlocking arms of the two halves form a perfect sphere, whilst the spirals at the centre of each half recall the coiled circles of ammonites. Hadcock’s work is often attuned to the geometrical designs inherent in nature and the coiled energy of Folium, contrasting the smooth lines of the shape with the textured outer surface, also suggests a nut or seed ready to burst into life.

This interest in reconciling apparent opposites is reinforced by Hadcock’s choice of materials, juxtaposing the metallic bronze – a man-made material – against the rougher surface of the natural rock base. Whilst the casting of the bronze is an industrial process, Hadcock also places an important emphasis on craftsmanship; each piece is hand painted with coloured wax giving the bronze a unique character. This wax also acts as a protective layer, sealing the metal and thereby increasing the longevity of the work. This treatment of the bronze is another way of engaging with the geological resonances of the work’s title; just as the latter alludes to an ancient permanence, so the preservation of the bronze implies a continuing permanence and the idea of creating something with both a sense of the past and an unfolding future.