igor mitoraj – ultrawolvesunderthefullmoon

Head Sculpture by Igor Mitoraj

Igor Mitoraj was a Polish artist born in Oederan, Germany. Having previously worked with terra-cotta and bronze, a trip to Carrara, Italy, in 1979 turned Igor Mitoraj to using marble as his primary medium and in 1983 he set up a studio in Pietrasanta. In 2006, he created the new bronze doors and a statue of John the Baptist for the basilica of Santa Maria deli Angela in Rome.

Mitoraj’s sculptural style is rooted in the classical tradition with its focus on the well modelled torso. However, Mitoraj introduced a port-modern twist with ostentatiously truncated limbs, emphasising the damage sustained by most genuine classical sculptures. Often his works aim to address the questions of human body, its beauty and fragility as well as deeper aspects of human nature, which as a result of the passing of time undergo degeneration.

Igor Mitoraj, Bronze Doors at Saint Maria Degli Angeli, Rome, Italy

The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs ( Santa Maria Degli Angeli e dei Martiri) is a titular basilica church in Rome, Italy built inside the frigidarium of the Baths of Diocletian in the Piazza della Repubblica.

Igor Mitoraj was a Polish artist born in Oederan, Germany. Having previously worked with terracotta and bronze, a trip to Carrara, Italy, in 1979 turned him to using marble as his primary medium and in 1983 he set up a studio in Pietrasanta. In 2006, he created the new bronze doors and a statue of John the Baptist for the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome.

The right hand bronze door depicts the Resurrection, and the left hand door the Annunciation. Most of the surfaces of both doors are blank, showing textured and patinated metal, but out of the surfaces emerge dismembered figures and heads as if they were floating in water. The three figures of Christ, Our Lady and the Archangel Gabriel have arms amputated, and this detail is an allusion to the damaged Classical statues that used to be displayed in the adjacent museum. The figure of Christ is further divided into four by two slashes in the form of a cross.

Thanks to http://deaprojekt.tumblr.com for the reblog of the top image.