Systems Group

The core members of the Systems Group were:

• Jeffrey Steele (1931–2021)
• Malcolm Hughes (1920–1997)
• Michael Kidner (1917–2009)
• Jean Spencer (1942–1998)
• Peter Lowe (1938–)
• David Saunders (1936–)
• Peter Sedgley (1930–2025)
• John Ernest (1922–1994)
• Gillian Wise (1936–2020)

The following artists exhibited with the group:

• Michael Tyzack (1933–2007)
• Colin Jones (1934–)
• Richard Allen (1933–1999)
• Geoffrey Smedley (1927–2018){{cite web |title=Geoffrey Smedley |url=https://artuk.org/discover/artists/smedley-geoffrey-19272018 |website=Art UK |access-date=8 December 2024}}
• James Moyes (1937–){{cite web |title=James Moyes |url=https://artuk.org/discover/artists/moyes-james-b-1937 |website=Art UK |access-date=8 December 2024}}
• John Law (1941–){{cite web |title=John Law |url=https://artuk.org/discover/artists/law-john-b-1941 |website=Art UK |access-date=8 December 2024}}
• Norman Dilworth (1931–2023)

Gillian Wise and John Ernest had previously exhibited with the Constructionist Group. Regarding group meetings, although Steele brought the group together and was a key member, Hughes subsequently took over the running of the group, which met regularly at his Putney studio.{{Cite thesis

| last = Fowler | first = Alan

| publisher = Winchester School of Art

| title = Constructivist Art in Britain 1913-2005

| year = 2006 | page = 142}}

In November 1969, nine artists selected by Jeffrey Steele exhibited in an exhibition entitled Systeemi•System: An exhibition of syntactic art from Britain at the invitation of the Amos Anderson Art Museum in Helsinki.{{cite web |title=Systeemi•System (1969) catalogue |url=https://archive.org/details/systeemi-systems-1969 |website=Internet Archive |date=11 April 2024 |access-date=11 April 2024}} The exhibition was organised by Steele's Finnish wife Arja Nenonen (1936-2011) and the exhibiting artists were: Malcolm Hughes, Michael Kidner, Peter Lowe, David Saunders, Peter Sedgley, Jean Spencer, Jeffrey Steele, Michael Tyzack and Gillian Wise. Steele chose artists whose interests were associated with his own developing interest in the theory of syntax in art. Each artist selected a different choice of elements, using some kind of rational principle to construct their work.{{Cite thesis

| last = Fowler | first = Alan

| publisher = Winchester School of Art

| title = Constructivist Art in Britain 1913-2005

| year = 2006}}

Syntactic art considers syntactic (structural) relationships between artwork elements more important than any semantic (referential) or pragmatic (expressive) relationships. In other words, in syntactic art the structure and form of the artwork takes precedence over its figurative representation or the viewer's interpretation.

According to semiotician Charles Morris "language is a social system of signs mediating the response of members of the community to one another and to their environment." Additionally "to understand a language or to use it correctly is to follow the rules of usage (syntactical, semantical, and pragmatical) current in the given social community."{{citation

| last = Morris | first = Charles

| isbn = 9789027919199

| publisher = Mouton, The Hague

| title = Writings on the General Theory of Signs

| year = 1971

| page = 48

}}

File:Spiral of 8 Integers (1963).jpg

Semiotics is the science of semiosis: studying the relationships between signs (syntactics), what they designate (semantics), and how they are interpreted by an agent (pragmatics).{{citation

| last = Morris | first = Charles

| isbn = 9789027919199

| publisher = Mouton, The Hague

| title = Writings on the General Theory of Signs

| year = 1971

| pages = 19–24

}}

Anthony Hill appropriated Morris's syntactic-semantic-pragmatic framework into his own work, which in turn influenced some members of the Systems Group. 'By syntactic, Hill meant "the relations in the constituent structure, the internal plastic logic", or, put more simply, what happens within the paintings.' {{cite web

| url = https://www.tate.org.uk/research/tate-papers/31/anthony-hill-concrete-paintings

| title = The Geometry of Syntactics, Semantics and Pragmatics: Anthony Hill's Concrete Paintings

| author = Sam Cathercole

| website = Tate Papers

| date = 2019

| access-date = 21 January 2024

}}

A clear example of Syntactic Art, or Constructionist Art, is found in Peter Lowe's "Spiral of 8 integers" where, starting from the central square, a sequence of integers is added until the square root of the sum is found to be a whole number, i.e. (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8) = 36, and $\backslash sqrt\{36\}$ = 6. Lowe presents the syntactic relationship visually as a spiral pattern of smaller squares, culminating in the outer 6 x 6 square. Although it is possible to view his work mathematically, Lowe emphasises that he discovered this relationship empirically.{{cite web

| url = https://archive.org/details/the-mathematics-of-peter-lowes-spiral-works

| title = The Mathematics of Peter Lowe's "Spiral" Works

| website = Internet Archive

| publisher = Edward Grabczewski

| date = 1 January 2009

| access-date = 25 January 2024

}}{{cite web

| url = https://archive.org/details/the-systems-art-of-peter-lowe-2008

| title = VIDEO: The Systems Art of Peter Lowe

| website = Internet Archive

| publisher = The Sound Manifesto

| date = 2008

| access-date = 25 January 2024

}}

The Cold War lasted from 1945 to 1991. In the short period of its existence the Systems Group accepted the label of Constructivist, but this term was identified with Russia and hence associated with "The Evil Empire". Quoting Peter Lowe: "In the art world, the CIA was covertly ensuring the supremacy of Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism over Russian Constructivism and Formalism as an element of US Cold War propaganda. Local abstract expressionists proliferated in the UK and Abstract Expressionism was promoted in art schools. Journalists and directors of our national institutions favoured US art and linked their careers to it. There was also a good deal of tabloid comment with Syntactic work being invariably labelled 'cold and clinical'. The term 'system' had acquired negative connotations and it was an act of defiance on our part to use it in relation to our group."{{citation

| last = Fowler | first = Alan

| isbn = ((978-0-901723-1))

| publisher = Southampton City Art Gallery

| title = A Rational Aesthetic: the Systems Group and associated artists

| year = 2008

| page = 44

}}

Several members of the Systems Group held the view that all acts were political, therefore art was a vehicle for political ideology. At the time, Lowe could not agree, feeling his visual research was apolitical, having been influenced by the writings of Theo van Doesburg's in his essay "An Answer to the Question: Should the New Art Serve the Proletariat?".{{cite web |last1=Van Doesburg |first1=Theo |title=Anti-Tendenzkunst |url=https://archive.org/details/anti-tendenzkunst-van-doesburg-1923-du-en |website=Internet Archive |date=April 1923 |publisher=De Stijl |access-date=7 December 2024}} Things came to a head at a meeting in 1976, after which Lowe resigned from the group. The remaining members found no resolution to their political differences and disbanded shortly afterwards.{{citation

| last = Fowler | first = Alan

| isbn = ((978-0-901723-1))

| publisher = Southampton City Art Gallery

| title = A Rational Aesthetic: the Systems Group and associated artists

| year = 2008

| page = 45

}}

=== While the group was active {{citation

| last = Fowler | first = Alan

| isbn = 978-0-9549783-5-8

| publisher = Osborne Samuel Ltd

| title = Towards a Rational Aesthetic: Constructive Art in Post-war Britain

| date = 2007

| page = 10

}} ===

• 1969: Systeemi•System: An exhibition of syntactic art from Britain, Amos Andersonin taidemuseo, Helsinki.{{cite web

| url = https://www.rem.routledge.com/articles/overview/constructivism

| title = Constructivism

| website = Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism

| publisher = Routledge

| date = 1 December 2016

| access-date = 20 January 2024

}}

• 1971: Matrix, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol.{{cite web

| url = https://arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/matrix-exhibition/

| title = Matrix

| website = Arnolfini

| publisher = Arnolfini Gallery

| date = 10 June – 7 July 1971

| access-date = 20 January 2024

}}

• 1972-3: Systems, Whitechapel Gallery touring show, London.{{cite web

| url = https://archive.org/details/systems-1972/mode/2up

| title = SYSTEMS

| date = 8 March 1972 – 1 July 1973

| via = Internet Archive

| publisher = Arts Council of Great Britain

| access-date = 9 January 2025

}}

• 1973: Systems II, Polytechnic of Central London, London.{{cite web |title=SYSTEMS II |url=https://archive.org/details/systems-ii |via=Internet Archive |date=29 August 1973 |publisher=Polytechnic of Central London, 1973}}

=== After the group disbanded {{cite web

| url = https://www.artbiogs.co.uk/2/societies/systems-group

| title = Systems Group

| website = Artist Biographies: British and Irish Artists of the Twentieth Century

| publisher = Artist Biographies Ltd

| access-date = 18 January 2024

}} ===

• 1978: Constructive Context, Arts Council Great Britain.{{cite web

| url = https://artscouncilcollection.org.uk/exhibition/1978-constructive-context

| title = Constructive Context

| website = Arts Council Collection

| publisher = Arts Council England

| date = 1 January – 1 December 1978

| access-date = 19 January 2024

}}

• 1978: Constructivist section, Annual Exhibition of the Hayward Gallery, London.{{cite web

| url = https://artsandculture.google.com/story/PAXhlEs3uzZeJw

| title = Hayward Annual '78

| website = Arts & Culture

| date = 23 August – 8 October 1978

| access-date = 19 January 2024

}}

• 1980: PIER+OCEAN: Construction in the art of the seventies, Hayward Gallery, London.{{cite web

| url = https://artsandculture.google.com/story/PAXhlEs3uzZeJw

| title = PIER+OCEAN

| website = Arts & Culture

| date = 8 May – 22 June 1980

| access-date = 19 January 2024

}}

• 1981: Konstrukcja w Procesie [Construction in Process], Budrem plant, Łodź.{{cite web |title=Konstrukcja w Procesie |url=https://archive.org/details/konstrukcja-w-procesie-1981 |via=Internet Archive |date=1982 |publisher=Thousand Secretaries Press |access-date=29 December 2024}}
• 2008: A Rational Aesthetic: The Systems Group and Associated Artists, Southampton City Art Gallery, Southampton.{{cite web

| url = https://www.waterhousedodd.com/news/27-reconsidering-peter-lowe-of-the-neglected-avant-garde/

| title = Reconsidering Peter Lowe of the "neglected avante-garde"

| website = Waterhouse & Dodd

| access-date = 19 January 2024

}}

Following the decline of the Systems Group, other groups of British constructivists emerged, such as

Group Proceedings (1979-1983),{{cite web |last1=Clarke |first1=Trevor |title=The strange quest: Mathematics as Concrete Art |url=https://maxwelldemon.com/2009/10/10/the-strange-quest-mathematics-as-concrete-art/ |website=Maxwell's Demon |date=10 October 2009 |access-date=10 April 2024}}

Exhibiting Space (1983-1989),{{cite web |title=Belated notes ... |url=http://www.exhibitingspace.com/ |website=exhibitingspace.com |publisher=Exhibiting Space}} journal

Constructivist Forum (1985-1991),{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Nathan |title=Work |url=https://www.nathancohen.co.uk/work |website=Nathan Cohen}} and Countervail.{{cite book |editor-last1=Moore |editor-first1=Tania |editor-last2=Winner |editor-first2=Calvin |title=Rhythm & Geometry: constructionist art in Britain since 1951 |date=2021 |publisher=Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts |isbn=978-1-9161336-8-6}}

• Constructionist Group
• Constructivism
• Neglect in the UK, 1980s and 1990s

{{Reflist}}

• [https://archive.org/details/constructivist-art-in-britain-1913-2005-alan-fowler-2006] Constructivist Art in Britain 1913-2005 by Alan Fowler (2006)

Category:British abstract artists

Category:Concrete art

Category:Constructivism (art)

Category:Abstract art

Category:Modern art