Rational Concepts: 7 English Artists Portfolio

The extending single horizontal and vertical lines in this print draw attention to the process of marking out connected geometric forms. Known primarily as a sculptor, Norman Dilworth’s constructions engage with the language of geometric abstraction. The linear composition of this print relates to the steel rod assemblages that he made in the early 1970s, exploring line as a marker of boundaries in space.

This print was part of the Rational Concepts portfolio, which included seven screen prints produced in an edition of 100, by artists associated with constructive art in England. In his statement for the portfolio, Dilworth made an analogy between drawing a line and the structure of a sentence, reflecting his interest in language as a dynamic system. The other artists represented in the portfolio are Malcolm Hughes, Anthony Hill, Peter Lowe, Kenneth Martin, Jeffrey Steele and Gillian Wise.

Lisa Newby, June 2022