Turkey 1910 - 1911

Anne Marie Carl Nielsen made this turkey out of plaster; its surface a map of the artist's touch, a record of each addition and subtraction in the modelling process. Look closely, and you can see how the details of the feathers have been built up with many small marks. Notice the texture, how it catches the light, creating shadows that emphasize the bird's form and bring a sense of life to the sculpture. I love the way that the turkey's head is tilted upwards, as if it's about to gobble. This plaster has an unfinished quality, like a sketch, compared to Carl Nielsen's more well-known bronze sculptures. It has an immediacy and vulnerability that is not unlike Medardo Rosso's wax figurines. Both invite you to consider the creative process and the fleeting moment of inspiration that brings a work of art into being.