Barbara Hepworth, Figure: Churinga (1952)

Tue, 01 Jun 1999 00:00:00 -0400

Title	Barbara Hepworth, Figure: Churinga (1952)
Author	Walker Art Center
Date	1999
Institution	Walker Art Center

There are fundamental shapes which speak at all times and periods in the language of sculpture. . . . The forms which have had special meaning for me since childhood have been the standing form (which is the translation of my feeling towards the human being standing in a landscape).--Barbara Hepworth, 1955

Churinga is a word of Austral derivation referring to a wood or stone object carved by aboriginal tribes in central Australia and believed to be sacred. It represents the bond between an individual and his or her totem ancestor. In this work, Hepworth has developed a spiritual icon by piercing the solid mass of a bent cylinder of wood, thereby penetrating to the core or life of the material.

The hole, or elongated slot, as exemplified in this piece, is a convention that Hepworth and her contemporary Henry Moore consistently employed in their works, and it is one of their unique contributions to sculpture. The effect of light upon the exotic mahogany of this piece causes shadows and contours to swell, contract, and disappear as the viewer moves around it.

Walker solo exhibition: Barbara Hepworth: Carvings and Drawings, 1955

Barbara Hepworth, Figure: Churinga (1952)

Barbara Hepworth, Figure: Churinga (1952)

Barbara Hepworth, Figure: Churinga (1952)

Walker Art Center

1999