Art Appreciation: Art History - Barbara Hepworth: Modern Nature

Barbara Hepworth is one of the most celebrated British artists of the 20th century whose sculptures, drawings and prints are recognised internationally. On this course we explore how and why Hepworth refined her practice, in a career spanning over 50 years.

We trace the development of Hepworth’s career, from her formative years in Yorkshire; at Leeds College of Art; at the Royal College of Art in London and her scholarship year in Italy where she discovered the Renaissance art of marble carving. We examine Hepworth’s increasingly dominant role in international modern abstract art from the 1930s, alongside fellow artists, Ben Nicholson, Piet Mondrian and Naum Gabo, through into the 1940s. We explore her deep affinity for Cornwall, a landscape that became integral to her art until her death. We also examine how Hepworth actively shaped her career in modern sculpture, a largely male-dominated sphere during the 20th century.

Tracing the development of Hepworth’s practice over six decades, we discover how her work was inspired by the natural world. Looking at materials and processes that she worked with; and associations she made often with repeated subjects, we discuss how her dynamic artworks came to define the century in which she lived.