Sweden 1978 - Space Without Affiliation

Sculpture enables the artist to render the complex abstractions of the mind into tangible form using whatever physical medium is desired.

Arne Julius Jones, born Borgsjö, Sweden, October 20 1914, was a prolific artist, known primarily for his amazing sculptures. Jones got his big break when he and a group of fellow artists displayed work at the Galerie Blanche exhibition in 1949. The combined works gave rise to a new artistic form called Concrete Art. Wikipedia describes this as:

"...works of art that have been developed from their own natural resources and laws and thus are autonomous, that is, not dependent on an abstraction process. The artwork becomes its own concrete reality and not an abstraction. The concrete art is free from all representational and symbolic elements."

In 1951 Arne Jones created a mesmerizing sculpture entitled, Room without a branch. The title is loosely based on a novel written by Jones's friend, Lars Ahlin, entitled,  The House has no Branch. The aim of this sculpture, as far as I can ascertain from poor Google translations of the original Swedish, is to create a spacial form which has no tangible link to reality. It simply exists independently. Indeed, an alternate translation of the sculpture's title is, Space without affiliation. This sculpture can be viewed from any angle, creating a constant circular viewing 'loop that guides the eye on an endless walk.' 

In 1978 Martin Mörck was commissioned to engrave a new definitive stamp for Sweden. According to Wikipedia, 'a definitive stamp is a postage stamp that is part of the regular issue of a country's stamps, available for sale by the post office for an extended period of time'. Arne Jones's eye-catching sculpture was chosen as the subject for the stamp. Mörck based his charming engraving on a photograph by Jan Helge Jansson, who documented a large portion of Jones's art through photography and film.

The new definitive stamp was issued on January 25 1978. The sculpture's almost nonsensical whimsy and simplicity make it the perfect subject for a stamp. Mörck has done a fabulous job translating this three dimensional form into a two dimensional concept. Stunning. 

Until next time...