Martin, Mary
Starting out initially as a landscape painter, Mary Martin moved towards abstract painting in the 1940’s, and eventually started to make free standing structures in the 1950’s and 60’s. She was one of the pioneering members of the British Constructionist movement in the 1950s and 60s. Along with her husband, the sculptor Kenneth Martin, she worked with paint, wood and steel among other materials to produce constructed abstract forms. Martin also worked largely with reliefs, using raised areas based on a flat surface to create depth, shadow and the impression of movement. From 1951-56, she used only black, white and grey in her work, and introduced colour in later years. Mary Martin appreciated the simplicity and organic quality of ordered sequences, and was influenced by architects and designers.
Throughout her career, Martin applied mathematical principles such as the Golden Section and the Fibonacci Sequence to her constructions and reliefs, emphasising geometric form and incorporating new materials such as acrylic and aluminium. Martin taught at Goldsmiths College of Art and Design and regularly integrated scientific and technical elements within her teaching.
Spiral Movement 1954
1954