Standing Female Figure c. 20th century

This ‘Standing Female Figure’ was made by Lobi, and it lives here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It's all about the wood. I mean, literally, it *is* wood. The beautiful thing about sculpture, like painting, is how the artist deals with that basic fact. Here, the carving emphasizes the grain, the inherent patterns and texture. It's not hidden or smoothed over; it's celebrated. Look closely, you can almost feel the rough, honest quality of the material. The arms hanging by the figure’s sides are truncated and end suddenly, as if the figure has been broken, or eroded, in some way. They look a little like Louise Bourgeois’ hanging fabric sculptures in this regard. The figure seems so pared back, so minimal, and the wood gives her a kind of gravitas. It reminds me that art doesn’t always have to be about complexity. Sometimes, it's about getting down to the essence, finding the power in simplicity and the beauty in natural materials. It’s as if the figure has emerged organically from the tree trunk from which it was carved.