Revere, Revolt

Sophie Taeuber-Arp "Untitled" 1949

“Everything to do with Sophie Taeuber-Arp has the luminosity of sunlight, and is the miracle which has replaced tradition. She is full of invention, whim and extravagance,” said the German artist, Hugo Ball.

In her early years, Taeuber-Arp was a key figure in the Dada movement. In all her influential roles across many 20th century art movements, her Dada ideals shone through; she created spontaneously, subversively, but also joyfully. She conjures liberating movement through rhythmic patterns and playful colour blocks. Neither cynical nor cold; Taeuber-Arp’s abstract art is life-affirming and full of humanity.

Here, with a spare palette and vocabulary of forms, Taeuber-Arp creates a feeling of freedom and energy. She resolves and reconciles contradictory extremes as she does across all her work; the intuitive and geometric, disorder and harmony, art and craft, figurative and abstract...

Taeuber-Arp embodies the reverence of beauty and truth as we find it and as we make it - through exploration, transgression and revolt. In doing this with such prolific verve, Taeuber-Arp achieves her stated ambition to make “living things” in “a new style that is fitting for us.”

Inside Revere, Revolt is a link to its Exploration Archive where you can find out more and sign up to its creative world.

E.H. Chapin "Living Words" 1860

“Truth is new, as well as old.”

Edwin Hubbell Chapin was an American preacher, poet and orator. Like Taeuber-Arp he was filled with reverence whilst also sweeping away boundaries. His biographer, Sumner Ellis, states he was ‘the reverse of dogmatic in his spirit’ and also that 'his converting power was immense, only that he converted men to a love of the good and beautiful, rather than to any creed or special form of faith.” 

He revolted like Taeber-Arp. He was brought up in an orthodox tradition but was a key figure in the promotion of Universalist ideals - the belief that all can achieve grace and happiness.

Here are the words for Revere, Revolt in a fuller context:

"Truth is new, as well as old. It has new forms; and where you may find a new statement, an earnest statement, you may conclude that by the law of progress it is more likely to be a correct statement than that which has been repeated for ages by the lips of tradition."

This shows his highly progressive stance. Not only does he allow for development and change, but he gives precedence to it over tradition.

The non-religious were just as deeply moved on hearing Chapin speak. This is his first entry into Living Words and may give us a small window into what it could have been like.

“A DAY! It has risen upon us from the great deep of eternity, girt round with wonder; emerging from the womb of darkness; a new creation of life and light spoken into being by the word of God. In itself one entire and perfect sphere of space and time, filled and emptied of the sun. Every past generation is represented in it; — it is the flowering of all history. And in so much it is richer and better than all other days which have preceded it. And we have been re-created to new opportunities with new powers; — called to this utmost promontory of actual time, this centre of all converging life. And it is for to-day’s work we have been endowed; — it is for this that we are pressed and surrounded with these facilities. The sum of our entire being is concentrated here and to-day is all the time we absolutely have.” 

We bet you feel like seizing the day now, right?!

Inside Revere, Revolt is a link to its Exploration Archive where you can find out more and sign up to its creative world.

Details

Perfect for city days and country aways.

Dimensions: 34 x 43 x 9cm 

Handle drop: 30cm

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