101278 | BELGIUM. Art Deco bronze Plaque.

101278  |  BELGIUM. Art Deco bronze Plaque. Issued 1962. Commemorating the ACLVB/CGSLB (General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium) (59x59mm, 117.80 g, 12h). By M. Rau for Fisch.

 

CENTRALE GENERALE DES SYNDICATS / LIBERAUX DE BELGIQUE / ALGEMENE CENTRALE DER / LIBERALE VAKBONDEN VAN BELGIË, upper body of male left, with back facing, turning large gear in background; sunburst to upper right / Winged pileus and factory outline above French and Dutch abbreviations for the trade union, with each set upon outline of gear and set against outline of Belgium; denim-textured pattern in background. Edge: FISCH.

 

Choice Mint State. Yellow-brown surfaces, with a slightly matte nature. Great Art Deco style from late in the artist's career.

 

The following commentary from Joseph Styles relates the interesting and captivating design of this work: "It is a piece that shouldn't work: the perspectival distortion between the nub and the rim of the wheel are obvious, the man's arms seems too short (fore-shortened?), the angular lines of the wheel and the arm and the torso as the man stops the wheel jar against one another--and yet the composition of the whole in its square frame is arresting, and the stylized sun in the upper right corner (whatever its symbolism) provides a perfect circular balance for the partial wheel hub in the lower left. As I said, the composition shouldn't work, but it does, and its effect is strong and striking. A most amazing piece; a singular piece. Fascinating and stimulating."