Artwork Data

Title

Drie zuilen, afgedekt door een schijf

Artist

Arno van der Mark

Year

1986

Material

steen, marmer, brons en beton

Dimensions

h. 350 cm

Artwork Location

Address

Madestein Recreatiegebied noordoost, Den Haag

City district

Loosduinen

GPS data

52.042306536635, 4.23207491626102 View on map

Artwork Description

Text

On top of a large disc lies a bronze egg. The disc is supported by three natural stone columns. The columns are tapered and have a skin like tree bark. The sculpture seems to be a reference to a nest high up in a tree. But the 'trunks' can also be seen as pillars of a small building or temple worshipping 'the egg', a symbol of fertility and new élan.

The sculpture is an example of unadulterated post-modern art. Arno van der Mark (then a sculptor, later a cultural planner) is one of the sculptors who introduced postmodernism to the Netherlands in the early 1980s. Postmodern art is characterised by recurring representations and frequent quotations. Elements from other times and art styles are taken over and combined to their heart's content. Artists allow themselves whatever freedoms they wish. Van der Mark placed geometric forms, such as the egg and the disc, on pillars that refer to classical architecture.

The exhibition 'Groene Wouden' (Green Woods) (1983) played an important role in the development of post-modernism. As a participant, Van der Mark clearly distanced himself from the abstract, self-referential art of modernism. He created a new relationship between art and space. The basis for the interaction between art and location was laid during Van der Mark's training at the Academy of Visual Arts in Arnhem. Integration of visual art and architecture was the prevailing view there.

With the bark-like skin of the pillars and the egg on top, the 1986 sculpture reflects the green landscape of Madestein recreation park. But the location has not only determined the content of the work of art. There is an interaction. The object also reinforces the meaning of the surroundings. The egg reminds one of birds and the pillars tell one how fascinating the skin of a tree can be.

Close