The Guardian reviews "Hepworth in Colour" at the Courtauld Gallery, a focused exhibition examining Barbara Hepworth's use of color in her sculpture. The show presents her blue-and-white works inspired by the Cornish seascapes of St Ives, including carved and painted pieces like Pelagos (1946) and Sculpture With Colour (Eos) (1946), alongside her preparatory drawings. The review praises the sculptures' evocation of waves and wind but criticizes the exhibition's reductive argument that Hepworth simply used color, noting some works feel included as mere evidence rather than celebrated fully.
This review matters because it engages with a major modernist sculptor through a specific, underexplored lens—color—while challenging the Courtauld's formalist framing. It highlights ongoing debates about how to interpret Hepworth's abstract works, whether as pure geometry or as deeply rooted in natural landscapes, and underscores the enduring power of her sculpture to evoke sensory experiences beyond sight, such as sound and movement.