Artwork of the 80's
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Artists & Works
Peter Ambrose
American (b. 1953)
UNTITLED (MALE) (1988)
cast iron
20 1/4" x 9 1/4" x 8 1/2"

STYLE: Cubism
Sculpture in the 80s

 ©Peter Ambrose
Peter Ambrose often suggests the human form and its separate parts in a treatment of 20th century sculptural trends that contains both Cubist and Minimalist elements. He juxtaposes sharp, jutting edges with smooth, curving surfaces, achieving unexpectedly delicate and subtle results. The cast iron interacting planes of Untitled (Male) present abstract geometry with emotional impact, combining imposing presence with human scale.

CRITICAL EXCERPTS

Rosa Esmond Gallery press release, 3/90
"...patinated cubist forms, wedged one upon the other, dynamically convey subtle shifts in plane and shadow. Although Ambrose maintains an average human scale, his works convey imposing presence. Ambrose also addresses the sculpture in less formal terms, and hints at one of the major themes of human experience, that of symbiotic relationships."
same, 4/88
"Believing the human form presents the greatest challenge for new expression, Peter Ambrose always refers to the proportion and scale of the body to which we naturally compare all other forms. The solidness of the material speaks of the strength we find in the body's skeletal structure. The treatment is unsentimental, yet not without emotional impact."
The Eye on Art, Winter, 1991
"Many contemporary critics consider New York sculptor Peter Ambrose the heir of the cubist legacy. His pure geometrical works in a variety of media certainly seem to continue in this tradition...His geometric forms are also a study in contrasts as he juxtaposes sharp jutting edges next to smooth, curving surfaces...With its suggestion of perpetual motion, Ambrose's work also relates historically to the Italian Futurist movement...Ambrose's works seem to be metaphors for the fragmented human experience and the perpetual motion of modern life."
Walter Thompson, Art in America, 9/88
"In Peter Ambrose's strongly abstracted sculptures, a surprising array of dense and heavy materials is shaped, processed and made to strike unexpectedly delicate and subtle poses based on the human figure...Body parts such as a torso, heart, breasts and feet are also subjects for Ambrose's Minimalist handiwork...In the pieces based on body parts, a denser and in some ways more conventional form of cast sculpture comes into play. Here, Ambrose turns to interacting planes...Ambrose presents us with extremely abstract, at times even geometric work that nevertheless arouses in us emotions of a completely non-abstract order."