§ Bernard Meadows (British 1915-2005) Pointing Figure, 1967

§ Bernard Meadows (British 1915-2005) Pointing Figure, 1967 unique, verdigris and polished bronzeDimensions:20.2cm high, 57.5cm wide (8in high, 22 5/8in wide) excluding plinthProvenance:Provenance:Gimpel Fils, London, 1995;Private Collection, London. Exhibited:Gimpel Fils, London, Bernard Meadows Retrospective, 1995.Note: Literature:Bowness, Alan, Bernard Meadows: Sculpture and Drawings, Lund Humphries, London, 1995, p.88, no.112, pl.70. In the 1960s, Meadows did not continue to plough the ‘Geometry of Fear’ furrow, much as perhaps his gallery and the market would have liked. Instead, like his contemporary Kenneth Armitage, he looked to find a new sculptural vocabulary that spoke to the nascent optimism of the 1960s. An element of joy returns. Sculptures such as Relief: Watchers and Pointing Figure are classic Meadows of this period. Although superficially abstract, their strong anthropomorphism is clear, the rounded forms being heads (with eyes), although slippery enough to also connote bellies or even an entire body reduced to a singular form. This shifting nature of what the forms could be is enhanced by the smooth surfaces. In contrast to his 1950s sculpture, there are no jagged edges to arrest the eye, to turn you back on yourself. Instead, Meadows’ sculpture flows with you and the space surrounding it. And in this way his work returns to the conceptual world occupied by his former employer and mentor, Henry Moore.