More Weekend Whispers at the Sculpture Ranch

Grace and power radiate from this piece. Flexibility and strength...these figures represent to me the beauty that can exist when people work together in harmony. Each figure has a different task, the bottom figure forms the stable, solid base...without which the top figure could not strike his graceful pose.

The humility of the man on the bottom is evident from his tucked head...he is simply there to make the top man "shine." His folded legs are  graceful and spread for strength, yet his feet are together, in a relatively weak position.

The head of the top man is also slightly tucked, giving him a humble appearance. They almost look like they are taking a bow after a fabulous gymnastic performance.

The picture below shows a closer view of the bottom man's head with its simple form and strong curve and angularity. His missing facial features perhaps indicate that he is an "everyman," yet could every man carry such a heavy load while staying graceful and on tiptoes?

The middle view shows the symmetry of the bottom man's form, with his bulbous head in the middle accentuated by his identical outstretched arms and folded legs. 

The bottom view shows the six-pack abs of the upper man, and the elegant positioning of his arms and hands. One palm faces outward and away, while the other palm faces inward towards him. We all have different internal and external personas, so his palms make me think of that.

The sculpture to the right shows the same acrobatic activity, but the actors seem to be children. You may not be able to see this in the photograph, but the surfaces of the children are covered with swirly versions of mouths, eyes, and even indications of faces. However, there is no face where each child should have a face. Also, the hands of the bottom child look more like feet than hands.

I am not sure what the sculptor means by leaving the faces off, but putting the elements of the faces all over the bodies. Our faces identify us and enable us to see and smell and taste the world around us. What purpose would be served by having mouths and noses and eyes all over our bodies? What symbolism is the artist conveying?

The mouths are open and have large teeth. They almost cry out to the world. The eyes are usually part of a swirly design element. They all have a circular depression in the middle, like the pupil of the eye. The noses are quite stylized. I will have to think harder to understand what this means.

Stilt-woman has some interesting features. Her face is delicate and feminine, although hairless. Her arms are bony, with three-fingered hands pointing away from her body. Her head and body look fairly human-like, but her arms and legs are not. Her surface is rustic, with the appearance of a peeling surface. Her upper legs are flattened and contorted, while her lower legs are stick-like.

So what could this mean? The parts of her body that keep her alive and human, such as her head (and brain by extrapolation) and torso (and internal organs such as heart and stomach), are relatively normal. But the parts of her body for motion and exploring the world (hands for feeling and interacting with, and legs for moving through it) are contorted. Her long legs let her stand above a crowd, and see ahead of her. They also let her cover more territory with each step. So is the piece a commentary on the importance of arms and legs. Her large hands can be used for keep herself safe from external forces.

These might be simplistic interpretations, but they are possibilities. I will end here tonight, although I have more interesting sculptures to show. They will be in a third post.