Exhibited

The Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg

Literature

Lola Watter, 'Edoardo Villa' in Heine Toerien and Georges Duby (eds.), Our Art 3, Issued by The Foundation for Education, Science and Technology, Lantern, page 62 & 64, illustrated, where this work is dated 1962

According to Lola Watter: "The Family is an example of the metal reliefs created by Edoardo Villa in 1962.   Here the geometric shapes of the decorative clay reliefs are modified into juxtapositions of different metals, providing contrasts of colour and texture.   Pigment is introduced into the incised surfaces, enhancing the attributes of the medium and emphasising the play of light.   For the first time the sculptor incorporates sections of scrap iron into the work, giving new meanings to the 'found forms' by shifting their connotations.   They are built into the sculptural concept so that they invoke expressive elements from Edoardo Villa's rich, animistic vocabulary.

The Family is linked conceptually with the earlier Africa.  The figurative theme that Villa was to explore with sustained vigour over the following years is cogently expressed in this relief.  The use of a geometric idiom to express elements of the human body - the broad and narrow intervals between modified forms; the rhythmic repetition of simple, decorative motifs - this is a transcription of classical, North African methods.   The conscious wit and refined technique are completely modern.   Planes intersect to shift visually within the volume of space in which their movement is contained.   Form is reduced to essentials, indicating positive and negative volumes.  Delicacy and attention to detail, combined with animistic association, provide the work with the plasticity of Analytic-Cubist paintings.   A counterpoint of evocative, symbolic shapes is created."