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Appearances can be deceptive. And that certainly applies to 'Three-part sculpture' in the Zuiderpark. The work of art that sculptor Eric Boot made in 1970 and originally stood on the slope of the Leeghwaterplein square looks like bronze, but is actually made of plastic. A connoisseur might be able to see this from close by. Nevertheless, because of the colour and surface structure most passers-by will think it is a real bronze.

Boot is not out to deceive the viewer. He probably chose sterite because, unlike bronze, this synthetic material can be cast by the artist himself. Even though Boot left the actual casting to fellow sculptor Rob Pleysier. In addition, this material can easily be coloured. The colour is determined by the location. And since Boot's sculptures are often placed in park-like settings, they tend to have quiet tones like grey or green-brown.
Even more important to Boot than material or colour is form, rhythm and contrast. He works with plane and circle, mass and hole, light and dark. He forges such opposites together into a balanced whole. Three-part plastic' is an example of this. The alternation of forms creates a pleasant rhythm.

Many sculptors of the 20th century did not base their art on visible reality. This is no different for Boot, who began his career as an independent sculptor in 1963. His sculptures are abstract with hollows and curves, with open and closed forms. In that respect, Boot's work is reminiscent of that of Henry Moore (1898-1986). But this internationally renowned English sculptor started from what he saw. Moore abstracted, but ultimately remained faithful to figuration. Boot arrived at his formal idiom via a completely different route, that of pure imagination.