Untitled by Ulrich Rückriem

Facts

Material

Mural relief, Blue de Vire granite

Size

240 x 180 x 30 cm

Description

Ulrich Rückriem was a stone mason apprentice and later a journeyman at the Cologne Cathedral workshop. It is clear that his early dedication to the art of working with stone influenced his practice as an artist, reflected in his pieces made in Blue de Vire granite, and Finnish granite.

After coming into contact with such artists as Carl Andre and Richard Long, his sculpture dramatically shifted from his stone sculpted portraits to pared down blocks of stone − both irregularly shaped and geometric. In these works he would use his learned skills to split, splice, cut, saw, smooth and polish the stone; the result of which, as he insists, reflect the physical signs of its making.

It is important to him also that the individual pieces are broken down and then reconstructed from the original block. Despite their sculptural quality his works also reflect a sense of the natural and the monumental.

Location

Zurich, Rüschlikon