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Polychrome fired clay. Signed below: Zívr 1974. A remarkable sculpture from the artist's latter period, synthesizing his earlier discoveries primarily based on his observations of biomorphic structures. Throughout his life, Ladislav Zívr strove towards simplicity and fullness of shape – the ideal – which he brought in part from his family's tradition of pottery making. In creating his non-commissioned sculptures, reliefs and statues, he went through several periods of development – Late Cubism, Surrealism, Gutfreund-esque Civilism and symbolic spiritualism. By experimenting with the material closest to him, earth, he invented his own technique of moulage (combining natural materials with liquid plaster). From the 1960s he experimented with abstraction, focusing mainly on nature, natural processes, the geometry of minerals and the fantastical visions they offer. This is reflected in his sculptures enriched with contrasting and hybrid forms. The painting is from a major Prague collection. LITERATURE/Ladislav Zívr, Jaromír Typlt, Kant, 2013 (no. 455 in list of works).