Jean Arp

🗿Jean Arp or Hans Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966) was a German-French sculptor, painter, poet, and abstract artist in other media such as torn and pasted paper.

A pioneer of abstract art, Jean Arp was at the forefront of artistic practice throughout his career. He worked within surrealism and constructivism before becoming a founder of the Dada movement.

Best known for his biomorphic sculptures made from plaster, stone, and bronze, Arp turned away from convention and went in search of new forms by looking for inspiration in the purely natural world: plants, seeds, the sky, animals and the human body.

He was enthusiastic to incorporate discarded papers and fabrics into his work, adding layers to his geometrical organic forms. He is known to have been extremely influential on later 20th century abstract artists including Joan Miró and Alexander Calder. As a sculptor, painter, and poet he was active in several diverse art groups including Der Blaue Reiter, with Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, and the Cabaret Voltaire.

"Art is fruit growing out of a man like the fruit out of a plant like a child out of the mother. Reason tells the man to stand above nature and to be the measure of all things.. ..through reason man became a tragic and ugly figure.."

"Sculpture should walk on the tips of its toes, unostentatious, unpretentious, and light as the spoor of an animal in the snow. Art should melt into and even merge with nature itself. This is obviously contrary to painting and sculpture based on nature. By so doing, art will rid itself more and more of self-centredness, virtuosity and absurdity."

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