Hip (blue)

Stik’s intention to ‘compress’ the details of the body into his minimalist compositions is clear here:  “Quite often, simple images are the most noted. If I’ve got too many lines, I kind of lose track of what’s going on. I like to have very few things going on, but a lot of data compression in that”. Recalling Giacometti with its interest in the experience of occupying the human body, Hip clearly gestures to feelings of fatigue and weariness.

Part of a long line of standing stickmen, Hip is unique in its depiction of a curved wrist, in contrast to the typically straight-limbed depictions of isolated figures  by the artist, such as Standing Figure. This eye to detail works against the movement towards simplicity in Stik’s art, which he has himself recognised: “It’s always been simple, and it seems to be getting simpler as time passes. I appreciate simplicity.”