Sea Poppy 2
Print
1965 (made)
1965 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) was a sculptor, graphic artist and poet. Maritime themes have been a constant in his work, but he is probably best known as the creator of a garden - Little Sparta - at his home in Scotland. Much of his work has taken the form of text - stone-carved inscriptions, word-sculptures, and concrete poetry (works in which the layout and physical relationship between words on a page serve to illustrate the meaning of those words). He is interested in the visual and associative qualities of text and type. 'Sea Poppy 2' is a synthesis of his dual passions for the sea and for gardens. The central motif takes the form of a flower, its 'petals' a radiating sequence of words - phrases which use the word 'star', and are also the names of fishing boats. The words float against the blue ground - some faint (far) and some bold (near) - like stars in the night sky or boats lifting and falling on the swell of the sea.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Sea Poppy 2 (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Colour screenprint |
| Brief description | Print by Ian Hamilton Finlay, concrete poem entitled 'Sea Poppy 2', screenprint, published by the Wild Hawthorn Press, Dunsyre, 1965 |
| Physical description | Screenprint in blue and green depicting a concrete poem. The words form four concentric circles in the middle of the work. The word 'STAR', which is larger than the rest, appears repeatedly, intersected by other words and short two word phrases. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) was a sculptor, graphic artist and poet. Maritime themes have been a constant in his work, but he is probably best known as the creator of a garden - Little Sparta - at his home in Scotland. Much of his work has taken the form of text - stone-carved inscriptions, word-sculptures, and concrete poetry (works in which the layout and physical relationship between words on a page serve to illustrate the meaning of those words). He is interested in the visual and associative qualities of text and type. 'Sea Poppy 2' is a synthesis of his dual passions for the sea and for gardens. The central motif takes the form of a flower, its 'petals' a radiating sequence of words - phrases which use the word 'star', and are also the names of fishing boats. The words float against the blue ground - some faint (far) and some bold (near) - like stars in the night sky or boats lifting and falling on the swell of the sea. |
| Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1995 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.2894-1995 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | April 28, 2006 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
