K.H. Hödicke
Römisches Meer, Brandung

In Römisches Meer, Brandung, four stacked square glass panes are held together by two side-mounted screw clamps. Four white plastic sheets of the same format are layered between the panes so that different gradations of colour emerge. The topmost sheet is only partly held by the glass – just a quarter is fixed – and hangs freely in space. Hödicke’s engagement with reflections and light effects in shop windows and on glass surfaces in his painting is here translated into a three-dimensional wall object that, both formally and poetically, evokes the impression of surf or flowing water.
This edition piece was preceded by a floor work on a larger scale, using a similar principle. Four stacked wooden frames each contain a glass pane partially painted with white acrylic. This four-part layering, along with the shadows it casts, creates a visual effect that suggests a wave motion. Both the edition piece and the floor work Brandung (1967) were created during Hödicke’s residency at the Villa Massimo in Rome, beginning in autumn 1967.
Text: Birgit Eusterschulte