Artwork Data
Title
Landschapsconstructie
Artist
Year
1981
Material
roestvast staal
Dimensions
h. 285 cm
Artwork Location
Address
Melis Stokelaan, Den Haag
City district
Escamp
GPS data
52.047257297864, 4.2801638146805 View on map
Artwork Description
Text
Two sculptures by Pim van der Maas have been placed in the Melis Stokepark. Both stainless steel objects underline the fact that the sculptor prefers to manifest himself as a constructor and an artist of ideas. Besides 'Duo' from 1978, which was placed in 1981, the park also contains the sculpture 'Landscape Construction' that he completed in 1981. Both sculptures are constructed according to the same principles. The use of materials, formal idiom and dimensions are essentially the same.
Van der Maas settled permanently in Voorburg in 1967. He studied at the Free Academy in The Hague, where he later worked as an accompanist. He was taught by Rudi Rooijackers, among others. In 1971 the sculptor received the Albert Termote Prize (an incentive prize from the municipality of Voorburg) and in 1993 the Voorburg Hofwijck Prize for his entire oeuvre.
Whereas Van der Maas initially preferred to make metal sculptures, in a later phase his fascination for handwriting, writing and the language of signs became clearly visible in his sculptures. For instance, he very appropriately depicted 'writing' in a light ornament near the library in Voorburg. Elsewhere, he used the key as the basic instrument for the representation of the opening of the unknown. For a commission from Canisius College in Nijmegen, he based himself on a revolving door. In all cases it is about the representation of ideas and thoughts in sustainable materials. The translation of an immaterial idea into a concrete form results in lively objects that are often layered and in which the sculptor's own handwriting can be recognised.