Dimensions: object: 290 x 290 x 200 mm, 8.5 kg
Copyright: © The Eduardo Paolozzi Foundation | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This is Sir Eduardo Paolozzi's 'Mr Cruikshank,' a bronze sculpture in the Tate collection. The smooth surface and simplified features give it a somewhat futuristic yet ancient feel. What do you make of its form? Curator: The sculpture presents a fascinating interplay of geometric forms. Note how the head is constructed from distinct planes, almost like an assemblage. This fragmentation disrupts the conventional representation of the human face. Editor: So, the planes aren't just a stylistic choice, but a way to deconstruct the human form itself? Curator: Precisely. Consider how the artist employs line and surface to create a tension between abstraction and representation. The materiality of the bronze, its color and texture, further emphasize this formal contrast. What is the overall effect? Editor: I see. The planes and the bronze, along with the simplified expression, all come together to create a sense of timelessness and dehumanization. Thank you!
Comments
Join the conversation
Join millions of artists and users on Artera today and experience the ultimate creative platform.
In 1950 Paolozzi discovered an illustration in the National Geographical Magazine of a wooden head in sections made by American scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was a model for testing the radiation caused by X-ray beams upon the human skull. Inspired by the Surrealists’ interest in uncanny medical imagery, and by the model’s mechanical appearance, Paolozzi copied the shape into a series of bronze heads. Despite its comical name, this humanoid bust represents the dehumanising effects of science, and the pose recalls effigies of ancient martyrs. Eduardo Paolozzi was born at Leith, near Edinburgh in 1924. He lives and works in London. Gallery label, August 2004
CollectMore like this
