In the Renaissance period a tondo was a circular artwork, usually a painting, sometimes a relief or sculpture. The word comes from the Italian rotondo, meaning—no surprises here—“round”. But why make round works of art? The tondo was a symbolic shape, signifying wholeness and eternity.
As popular as they were in Italy in the 1400s, tondos (or tondi) are rarely seen in galleries these days. Will Martyr is a Royal College of Art and Slade trained artist who thinks tondos are great: he has made eight of them on a large scale for his current show at The Unit London, Fathoms, each depicting nostalgic, idyllic, holiday scenes—capturing the last days of summer for all eternity.
