Counterpoint Vase in Twelve Tones
Fritsch, Elizabeth
Counterpoint Vase in Twelve Tones is an important early example of the musical inspiration that made Fritsch’s work in the early 1970s so distinctive and influential. Music, a passion nurtured at an early age and developed through advanced study of the piano and harp, has been Fritsch’s most important and abiding influence. A precise vocabulary of metaphors derived from musical theory underpins her work. In her own words, ‘the form of a piece is the equivalent of a melody or theme; the rhythm figures in the painting correspond to tempo and rhythm in music; and colour correlates with harmony and modulation.’ Curving grids follow the form of the vessel with mathematical precision and act ‘as the equivalent of a time signature in music.’ The rhythm figures based on these grids are modified by the vessel’s curvature, emphasising its dynamic structure.
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