IDA KLEITERP (1948) SCULPTOR, AMSTERDAM (NL)

Ida Kleiterp's sculptures are often formally based on themes related to nature, such as animals and plants. However, she does not aim at a purely literal interpretation of this subject; the motif often induces her to the very act of sculpting, of working on a stone and of reaching a form surpassing the nature motif itself. The role of the observer is of great importance moreover; by experiencing the sculpture which offers the possibility of various associations, he decides upon the surplus value of the work of art with respect to its content. The design of Kleiterp's work balances on the verge of figuration and abstraction. The solidity of the sculptures, which never tend to combrousness, form a salient characteristic. The sculpture's skin with its subtle accents in the stone is always in dialogue with the form. When the sculptures are arranged in a room, their interrelationship stands out, they are all variations on a natural abstract motif. This subtle ³unity in multiplicity3 makes her style harmonious. Kleiterp's approach of natural stone is not only aesthetic or referring to nature, but stone for her is also a very concrete, functional and earthly material, as she characterizes it. Her series of ³animalseats3 for instance consists of sculptures which are meant to be sat on, to be played on by children, or as sculptures to be touched and felt by the observer. The interwovenness of aspects, such as the aesthetic experience of form and material, the suggestion of surplus value as regards content and the sober functional approach of the sculpture at the same time can be said to determine the strength of her work. Madelon Broekhuis Art historian June 1995