Camels 1969

Nancy Graves made these camels by casting them in bronze, a solid, weighty material, but they also seem so fragile. Looking at the surfaces, the texture seems so specific, like she carefully recorded every lump and bump of these creatures. Graves seems to revel in the process of building up the form, letting the material speak. I love how she captures the way these animals balance on their spindly legs, poised between elegance and awkwardness. I think about Rodin, who also explored the human form in bronze, but Graves's approach feels different. She's not so much interested in the ideal form as in the quirky, individual details. It's like she's saying, "Here are these animals, in all their strange and wonderful glory." And that, to me, is what art is all about: finding beauty in the unexpected.