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In the 20th century, Danish silver evolved, partly under the influence of Johan Rohde and a little later of the functionalists of the art deco period, the smooth, minimal expression which has been characteristic of Danish Design between the wars and in particular after World War II. Form is crucial, decorative elements are either not present or serve only to underline the form.
A few silversmiths have followed other paths. One of them is John Rimer (born 1931), who in the 1970s was the founding member of the exhibition group ‘Danish Silversmiths'. He has made a point of working with chasing, sometimes to an extent that can seem overwhelming. Nature, flowers, and plants are an important source of inspiration for the chasing of his tableware. John Rimer emphasises that handicraft and aesthetics are all important in his work. The function is secondary. “I do not wish to compromise the handicraft and the aesthetic. It is a matter of opinion how important the function is. Everything in our industrialised society must be functional these days, and all too often this occurs to the detriment of the quality of other values.”
John Rimer's tableware is therefore more often to be understood as sculpture rather than as utilitarian. Nordic mythology and the Icelandic sagas have been an important inspiration for a number of very personal works in which he interprets the short texts of the sagas and supplements them with decorative chasing which forms a harmonic whole with the texts.
John Rimer's works are on loan from a long list of museums and private persons.
The term chasing is derived from the noun "chase", which refers to a groove, furrow, channel or indentation. The adjectival form is "chased work". Whilst repoussé is used to work on the reverse of the metal to form a raised design on the front, chasing is used to refine the design on the front of the work by sinking the metal. The techniques of repoussé and chasing utilise the plasticity of metal, forming shapes by degrees. Some of the main styles of tool include: Liners, planishers, matting, and doming. The liner is hit on the end with a chasing hammer, pushing a thin line of metal into the pitch.
From Wikipedia
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