Parity Study No.2

The open hexagonal forms in Parity Study No. 2 are made up of eight groups of three 120-degree angle units, arranged in different configurations. Each group relates to a mathematical ‘tree’ with seven points and six lines, used in graph theory. Anthony Hill was fascinated by the variation that could be achieved by taking these mathematical devices as a starting point for his artworks. He described the process as putting abstract mathematical notions ‘to work’, by combining measured modulations with his own artistic decisions. [1]

Hill produced multiple works with the title Parity Study from the late 1960s onwards, using different configurations of the eight groups and a range of materials. [2] This version of Parity Study No.2 has been printed on a square of thin aluminium, which is hung on an angle as a lozenge. It has the same composition as a version Hill printed on Perspex, which is in in the Arts Council Collection. [3]

Lisa Newby, March 2021

[1] Anthony Hill, ‘A View of Non-Figurative Art and Mathematics and an Analysis of a Structural Relief’, Leonardo, Volume 10, No.1 (Winter, 1977), pp.7-12.

[2] For an overview of this series of works, see Alastair Grieve ‘The development of Anthony Hill’s work from 1950 to the present’, Anthony Hill, A Retrospective Exhibition, Hayward Gallery, London, 20 May – 10 July 1983, p.54.

[3] Parity Study No.2 First Version | Arts Council Collection (contagiousdigital.co.uk)