Created in 1999
Steel, 135 cm x 130 cm x 17 cm
Collection of the Kari Huhtamo Art Foundation
Kari Huhtamo: Ritenuto II
Steel relief Ritenuto II is an excellent example of the technical, material, and aesthetical economy of Kari Huhtamo’s art. The work is based on paper drafts and it encompasses Josef Albers’s proposition that with regard to art, “One plus one does not always equal two. It may equal three or more.”
Upon closer look you can see that the relief is made of seamlessly fitted pieces, but it looks like Huhtamo has cut and folded a single steel sheet. The shallow three-dimensionality and the reflections that change as the viewer moves around make Ritenuto II considerably greater than the sum of its parts.
Kari Huhtamo’s sculptures frequently contain references to classical music. Ritenuto is a musical term meaning temporary decrease in tempo for dramatic effect.