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Counterpoint Vase in Twelve Tones is an important early example of the musical inspiration that made Fritsch’s work in the early 1970s so distinctive and influential. Music, a passion nurtured at an early age and developed through advanced study of the piano and harp, has been Fritsch’s most important and abiding influence. A precise vocabulary of metaphors derived from musical theory underpins her work. In her own words, ‘the form of a piece is the equivalent of a melody or theme; the rhythm figures in the painting correspond to tempo and rhythm in music; and colour correlates with harmony and modulation.’ Curving grids follow the form of the vessel with mathematical precision and act ‘as the equivalent of a time signature in music.’ The rhythm figures based on these grids are modified by the vessel’s curvature, emphasising its dynamic structure.