Art & Statues
Belgian Art Deco Carved Wood Fish Relief Sculpture
Belgian Art Deco Carved Wood Fish Relief Sculpture
Deeply carved in relief, this Belgian Art Deco wood sculpture depicts fish moving through seaweed in a beautifully rhythmic composition. The subject is naturalistic, but the treatment has a distinctly modern feeling. During the Art Deco period, European artists and designers often looked beyond Europe for inspiration, drawing from the craft traditions, materials, and visual language of colonial regions. This piece may have been influenced by work associated with the Belgian Congo, and there is a subtle African quality in the carving and overall design.
Rendered in richly polished wood, the sculpture is especially interesting because of its asymmetrical composition. The fish and seaweed do not appear static. They seem to move together across the surface, creating a lyrical sense of motion and interaction.
Relief sculpture was widely used during the 1920s and 1930s to enrich both interior and exterior architecture. Animals, birds, fish, and sea creatures were popular Art Deco subjects because they allowed artists to combine nature with stylized modern design. A related example can be seen in the famous Chanin Building in New York, where marine life was also used as a decorative architectural theme.
so while it is not possible to take home a piece of the "Chanin", you might consider a carved wooden panel of fish and foliage like the one we offer!
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