Tag: sculpture

Amida Nyorai

Amida Nyorai (Amida Buddha), Lacquer, Gold and Pigment on Cypress (Hinoki), Crystals, 12th Century, Japan, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

Amida Buddha, also known as the Buddha of Immeasurable Light and Limitless Life, resides over the Buddhist western paradise or heaven. He is the most loved Buddha in East Asia. Since the introduction of Buddhism to Japan during the 6th century, Amida Buddha has become the most popularly worshiped icon.

Until the 12th century the Amida Buddha was usually represented seated on a lotus flower waiting for our arrival to the afterlife. However during the Heian and Kamakura periods the concept of raigō (welcoming decent) became popular and Amida Buddha was often represented in a standing pose descending from the heavens to fetch his devotee and personally transport them back to his blissful paradise.

Amida Buddha displays one of nine different mundra (hand gestures) that determine the nine possible paths for the dying to enter paradise. This gesture ‘jōbon geshō’ is one of the best known gestures in Japanese Buddhist imagery.

Another distinguishing feature of the Amida Buddha is the extended lobe on top of his head to accommodate his advanced understanding of the truth. His large ears allow him to hear all people in need. The rose coloured crystal set amongst his curly hair emits rays of light to display his supreme knowledge. A single white spiral of hair on his forehead indicated by a white crystal shows his love and affection for humanity; and the folds on his neck indicate compassion to all people.

Louis XIV Equestrian

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, “Louis XIV Equestrian Statue”, Copy of the Original at Chateau de Versailles, Musée du Louvre, Paris

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, born in 1598, became a prominent Italian sculptor and architect. He was requested by King Louis XIV to come to Paris to design a new wing for the Palais du Louvre,:however, his design was rejected. The Minister of Finance Jean-Baptiste Colbert was put in charge of liaising with Bernini for the production of an equestrian statue of King Louis XIV. After the approval of his clay models, Gian Lorenzo Bernini started work on the marble version.

The equestrian statue of King Louis XIV was sculpted from one single block of Carrara marble, and was completed in approximately 1677 by Bernini and some of his students. The statue, however, did not arrive in France until 1684, where it was to be placed in a prominent position within the grounds of the Chateau de Versailles. King Louis XIV was so displeased with the result that he decided to commission another sculptor to alter it.

Francois Giradon, born in 1628, was commissioned to change the Equestrian Statue. It was altered to depict a mythological Roman warrior and hero named Marcus Curtius, with the features changed and Roman helmet added along with the flames. It was placed at at the end of the grounds of the Chateau de Versailles. Over time, however, the alterations made by Giradon deteriorated leading to a complete restoration in the 1980s. This original sculpture is held within the collections of the Chateau de Versailles.

The current Equestrian statue at the Musée du Louvre is  a copy cast specifically for that site after the grand renovation project of the Louvre, with its modern glass pyramids, was completed. There is another copy, composed of crushed Carrara marble powder dust, located in Jackson, Mississippi, United States.

Yuichi Ikehata

Photography / Sculpture by Yuichi Ikehata

Japanese photographer Yuichi Ikehata’s series ‘Fragments of Long Term Memory’ sculpts human body forms by scaffolding the models with clay, wire, and paper. He then photographs and composites his subjects together.

Ikehata was born in Chiba, Japan in 1975 and graduated from Tokyo’s Sokei Academy of Fine Art and Design in 2001. His work has been exhibited in Japan and was included in London’s 2015 FLUX Exhibition at the Royal College of Art and the 2014 +81 Gallery’s “Vol. 65” show in New York City.

“Fragment of Long Term Memory (LTM), an ongoing photographic series, conveys an unrealistic world through fragments of reality. My understanding of reality comes from its moments of beauty, sadness, fun, perfection, and those days when nothing special happens. Many parts of our memories, however, are often forgotten, or difficult to recall. I retrieve those fragmented moments and reconstruct them as surreal images.” -Yuichi Ikehata

Noriyuki Saito

Noriyuki Saito, Bamboo Insects

Capturing anatomical essences with uncanny skill, Japanese artist Noriyuki Saito constructs life-sized insects using bamboo. The natural material’s versatility lends a surprisingly wide range of colors and textures to each creature. And although the first impression is of insects that are ready to crawl or fly off the page, Saitoh engages a thoughtful process of paring down each bug to its essential forms that give the impression of life.

As the artist writes on his website, “Since we are not preparing specimens and replicas, we strictly measure the [overall] dimensions and prioritize the appearance, impressions, features, and senses rather than proportions being created exactly…reality as a work is born if you thin out the elements and leave room to imagine.”

Richard Satava

Richard Satava: Glasswork, The Jellyfish Series

Richard Satava, a master glassblower, was introduced to glassblowing in 1969 while attending Ocean High School in Pacifica, California. He was then educated at the College of San Mateo and California State University. He eventually opened Satava Art Glass Studio in Chico in 1977. Using ancient techniques to create original designs in handblown glass, Satava creates works of art, individually crafted, by carefully combining the highest degree of technical skills and artistic creativity.

Glass-in-glass is a centuries-old art form that consists of a glass sculpture inside a second glass layer, oftentimes called a shroud. The inner glass sculpture is formed first and then it is dipped into molten glass, encasing it in a solid outer glass shroud. Before it cools, the shroud is malleable so the artist can manipulate it into any shape he so desires.

Yoruba Ere Ibeji Figures

Yoruba Ere Ibeji Figures

The Yoruba have one of the highest rates of twining in the world. It is estimated that out of every 1,000 births, 45-50 result in twins. Twins are revered among the Yoruba and come into this world with the protection of the orisha deity named Shango who is evoked at the baby’s naming ceremony when he or she is a few months old.

Due to the low birth weight of twins and the high infant mortality rates in Nigeria, many twin babies do not live long. If a baby dies during childbirth, in the months leading up to the naming ceremony, the parents will seek consultation with an Ifá diviner, a Babalawo. If the Babalawo ascertains a spiritual cause, he will help the parents find a carver to create an Ere ibeji figure.

An Ere ibeji is a wooden carving of a male or female figure once used by the Yoruba. The figure is thought to be a focal point for the spiritual energy of the deceased twin who, according to Yoruba traditional thought, resides in the supernatural realm where he/she is cared for by a spiritual mother.

The Ludovisi Gaul

The Ludovisi Gaul (Galatian Suicide), 2nd Century BC, Palazzo Altemps, National Museum of Rome

The Ludovisi Gaul is a Roman copy of the bronze Hellenisic original that was made to celebrate Attalus I’s victory over the Gauls in central Anatolia, now modern Turkey. This Roman copy appeared in the Ludovisi inventory in 1623 so it is assumed that it was found in the grounds of the Villa Ludovisi in Rome slightly before that. The sculpture is now in the Palazzo Altemps, part of the National Museum of Rome. The Romans used it to clarify their victory over the Gauls in Gaul, now modern day France.

“The first thing notable on this statue is the beautiful head of the man. His facial features, including his eyebrows eyes, nose, cheek, jaw, mouth, lips and chin, are in perfect Hellenistic proportions, despite the fact that he is not Hellenistic at all, but Gallic. There are added features on the statue to specify this ethnic, non-Hellenistic, identity. The clearest feature is the moustache. Hellenistic and Roman people were seldom depicted with moustaches, as Alexander the Great introduced the custom of smooth shaving.

His mud-caked hair (typical Gallic), however, appears to be the tousled hair of a satyr, a woodland creature depicted as having the pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat and a fondness for unrestrained revelry. He is therefore a threat to the civilized order of which Pergamon considered itself the centre.

The only  piece of clothing he is wearing is a cape. This cape, hanging all the way till his lower back, appears to be waving under influence of the wind. The fact that it is worn around his neck also suggests that he is not Hellenistic but Gallic, as Hellenists often wore togas which are worn with the aid of a fibula.

Next is one of the more important features of the statue, the sword piercing through the man’s chest; an attempt to kill himself. He holds his sword firmly in his right hand, see-able in the tension of all his arm muscles. The sword itself is short, and the other features of it suggest that it is a Gladius, a Roman sword.”  – Matin man Nieuwkoop, Leiden University, Faculty of Archeology, 2012

Woodrow Nash

Ceramic Sculptures by Woodrow Nash

Woodrow Nash’s recent sculptural works present the lure and mystery of our past and present reflections. The cut out eyes of his majestic clay figures gaze deep within the historical context of art history as well as carving out new path ways with Nash’s sculptural techniques. The range of colors and textures bring Nash’s life-like beings down to earth to be observed and reflected upon.

His stylized African portraits evoke the 15th century Benin concepts of graceful slender proportions and undulating lines of 18th century Art Nouveau. In his works Nash achieves his goal of intergrating expression, complex symbolism and sophisticated aesthetics to yeild striking embodiments of the human soul and sensuality.

Incorporating various styles and techniques Nash utilizes stoneware, porcelain, earthenware, and terracotta. The sculptures are then fired electronically using a pit firing technique giving the sculptures a “raku” effect; creating an “African Nuveau” trademark that is solely his own. Each sculptural figure is unique and strikes an individual pose of poetic grace and refined detail — each telling their own story.

Volodymyr Tsisaryk

Volodymyr Tsisaryk, “Sylphide”, Bronze

Volodymyr Tsisaryk is a sculptor living and working in Kiev, Ukraine. He had internships in Florence at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Florence and at the Saint-Petersburg Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. He graduated from the Lviv Academy of Arts in Ukraine with a Master Degree in Fine Arts, with honors.

Granado Dolls

Granado Dolls

Granado is a studio specialized in making ball jointed dolls and was launched in April of 2011. The dolls are produced in 1/3 and ¼ scale, ranging from 66cm to 77cm on the larger end and 46cm at the smallest. Granado’s resin colors include white, new normal, sunshine, asura (gray), tan, bronze, and chocolate. The dolls are anatomically correct. Jointed hands are currently available for the new line of 70cm dolls.

Granado also produces special limited edition dolls. The company also makes dolls to order with choices in eye color, skin color, hair, body type, and other features. Their site is: http://doll-granado.com.

Note: These are not ordinary dolls that you will find in department stores. The dolls are high quality, custom made to your specifications, and the price reflects that. A great gift.

Jacob Hashimoto

Jacob Hashimoto, “Infinite Expanse of Sky”, 2008/ 2009, Vellum, Bamboo, Wire, Wood, Dimensions Variable

Jacob Hashimoto is an American born sculptor and installation artist currently based in New York City and Verona, Italy. He is best known for using traditional Japanese methods to create large-scale “tapestries” out of thousands of hand crafted paper and wood kites. While they are three-dimensional and can thus be described as sculptures, these works also invite associations with painting.

The kites appear as abstract painted forms suspended in space. Hashimoto’s dynamic constructions also blur the line between abstract and figurative. A tapestry may resemble a landscape when glimpsed from afar, however that likeness disappears when the work is approached at a closer distance.

Andom International

“The Rain Room”

Known for their distinctive approach to digital-based contemporary art, Andom International’s experimental artworks come alive through audience interaction. Their largest and most ambitious installation yet, “Rain Room” is a 100 square metre field of falling water for visitors to walk through and experience how it might feel to control the rain.

On entering The Curve the visitor hears the sound of water and feels moisture in the air before discovering the thousands of falling droplets that respond to their presence and movement. Cameras installed around the room detect human movements and send instructions to the rain drops to continually move away from visitors. The water drips through a grid in the floor where it is treated before being sent back up to the ceiling to fall again.

At the cutting edge of digital technology, Rain Room is a carefully choreographed downpour – a monumental installation that encourages people to become performers on an unexpected stage, while creating an intimate atmosphere of contemplation. The work also invites us to explore what role science, technology and human ingenuity might play in stabilising our environment by rehearsing the possibilities of human adaptation.

rAndom International said: “Rain Room is the latest in a series of projects that specifically explore the behaviour of the viewer and viewers: pushing people outside their comfort zones, extracting their base auto-responses and playing with intuition. Observing how these unpredictable outcomes will manifest themselves, and the experimentation with this world of often barely perceptible behaviour and its simulation is our main driving force.”

Finding a common purpose as students at the Royal College of Art, rAndom International was founded in 2005 by Hannes Koch, Florian Ortkrass and Stuart Wood. Today the studio is based in Chelsea – with an outpost in Berlin – and includes a growing team of diverse talent. With an ethos of experimentation into human behaviour and interaction, they employ new technologies in radical, often unexpected ways to create work which also draws on op art, kinetics and post-minimalism.

A short film by rAndom International: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FslABAyj2OA