Construction (Crucifixion): Homage to Mondrian

Today I finished my walk along the Clarendon Way at Winchester Cathedral. While wandering through the Cathedral close, I came across this sculpture. The plaque beneath it reads:

Construction (Crucifixion): Homage to Mondrian.
1966: Dame Barbara Hepworth

This painted bronze sculpture is a late work by one of the 20th century's great sculptors. It is a testament of faith acknowledging in its form the the influence of the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian.

The cross of Christ can be traced in the central stem and along the horizontal where we find the yellow disc and circle. The crosses of the two thieves hang from the ends of this horizontal. The yellow disc suggests the head of Christ and the circle a halo. The disc suggests also the sun from before and from behind the moon, symbols and facts of nature traditionally associated with the crucifixion. The red, white and yellow colourings form a pattern evocative of pain, purity and deity. Notice the dynamic balance of the whole achieved through the various parts. The partial openness of the work draws the cosmos into its scope and allows us to rest within it.