Abstract relief in copper. Robert Allen Nelson, Signed. 7” by 5”. Concept Art Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania label verso.

This work by Robert A. Nelson is executed in thin sheet copper using a repoussé-based metalworking technique in which the figure is physically raised from the reverse side of the plate. Rather than carving or casting the form, Nelson shaped the image through direct displacement of the metal itself, pushing and stretching the copper outward to create a low-relief human figure.
The reverse side reveals the working process clearly: broad anatomical volumes were formed from behind using rounded tools and controlled hammer pressure over a yielding support surface. The front was then selectively compressed and refined through chasing, creating sharper contours, folds, and linear accents that define the figure’s structure. Repeated annealing would have been necessary throughout the process to soften the copper as it hardened under continued manipulation.
Nelson intentionally preserves the evidence of process. Hammer marks, stretched surfaces, compressed ridges, and irregular planes remain visible across the composition, emphasizing the physicality of the metal and the force required to shape it. Rather than pursuing smooth classical modeling, the artist constructs the body through fractured reflective planes and tensioned surfaces that oscillate between representation and abstraction.
The darkened patina further heightens the dramatic interplay of light across the worked copper, allowing highlights to emerge sharply from the surrounding oxidized surface. The result is both sculptural and graphic: a figure that appears simultaneously drawn, embossed, and excavated from the sheet itself.
The piece occupies a compelling space between metalcraft, expressionist relief sculpture, and gestural mark-making, with the material retaining a vivid record of the artist’s hand and process.