The Primary Relic: De Stijl Study No. 1

The Primary Relic: De Stijl Study No. 1 bridges iconic pop culture nostalgia with early 20th-century modernist art history. By stripping away facial expressions and mass-production gloss, the piece transforms a recognizable toy silhouette into a heavy, weathered architectural monument.

Concept & Technique

Part of the Digital Archaeology series, the sculpture contrasts the mathematical precision of Gerrit Rietveld and Piet Mondrian’s De Stijl palette against the raw, eroded aesthetic of brutalist concrete.

• Form: Constructed over a rigid wooden armature with simplified torso cuboids and an unblemished, blank yellow head.
• Surface: Multi-layered mineral clay hand-distressed with heavy stippling, pitted fissures, and dark acrylic weathering washes.
• Finish: Sealed with high-grade polymer resin to protect the contrast between raw mineral grey and vivid primary pigments.

Exhibition & Authentication

• Studio Seal: Stamped on the reverse pedestal base.
• Authentication: Accompanied by a signed Mr. Castle Certificate of Authenticity.

Style: Brutalist Pop, Digital Archaeology, Geometric Abstraction, Modernist Primitive

• Medium: Hand-sculpted Air-Dry Clay, Acrylic Weathering, Matte Varnish.
• Dimensions: height 32.5 cms, Width: 14 cms, Depth: 9.5 cms