WORKS OF THE WEEK: Paul Mount, The Erl King, 2008 and Rhomba, 1982

Paul Mount
The Erl King, 2008
Bronze
169 x 35.5 x 35.5 cm
66 ½ x 14 x 14 in.

Paul Mount’s sculpture can be defined by the experimentation of form, space and composition, and the way that a work interacts with the world around it.

Mount pioneered sculptural abstraction in the 20th Century, and was renowned for his ability to integrate futurist, geometrical forms with the material sensitivity of African sculpture. His sculpture evolved directly from scale models made in makeshift and versatile materials like card, wax and polystyrene, the latter of which is evident in the texture present in The Erl King (2008). Although the final sculptures have the durable presence of cast or constructed metal, the rhythmic interplay between solid form and open void were created by the initial free manipulation of easily constructed components.

Paul Mount
Rhomba, 1982
Stainless steel
51 x 54 x 49 cm
1ft 8 x 1ft 9 ¼ x 1ft 7 ¼ in.

He believed that the way two shapes relate is as important as the way two people relate, creating evocative and lively works that beautifully shift their constituent forms. In Rhomba (1982), our concept of space is challenged, as light bounces off every highly polished plane. The 'extension of sculpture within its own reflective surfaces' is what fascinated Mount, how form is abstracted as it mirrors the viewers and the world outside.

“Our senses are alerted, sharpened rather than seduced. Curves already taut are juxtaposed, their edges cleaned by light, so that each reveals and challenges the other.” – Ronald Gaskell on Paul Mount, 1981

Paul Mount was born in Newton Abbot, Devon, in 1922. After studying at the Paignton School of Art, he attended the Royal College of Art until 1941, when he was called up for war service as an ambulance driver.

In 1946, he returned to the Royal College of Art. His practice was impacted by his move to Nigeria in 1955, where he was employed to set up the art department at a Technology College in Lagos. Here, he experimented with traditional Nigerian materials, including iroko and ebony, and was deeply influenced by tribal sculpture of the region. In 1962, Mount returned to England where he settled near St Just, Cornwall.

The New Art Centre has shown Paul Mount’s work for many years, with his first solo exhibition at the gallery on Sloane Street in 1978. From this point, Mount had 5 further solo shows with the New Art Centre, his work also being consistently shown at Roche Court Sculpture Park.

He has always worked closely with architects and has been involved in the following commissions: The Spirit of Bristol (1968) in St. James’ Square, Bristol; works at The British Steel Corporation, London, and The Cabinet Offices in Accra, Ghana. Paul Mount’s work is held in several major public collections, including the Harlow Art Trust; Plymouth Art Gallery; Exeter University; Bristol City Council; Cornwall County Council; Falmouth Art Gallery and the Department of the Environment.