Portrait of Robert 1969

Louise Bourgeois made this portrait of Robert in plaster, a material that moves between the industrial and the handmade. The plaster's texture has a big impact on the sculpture's look. Notice the rough, almost geological quality, created by building up the material in layers. Plaster begins as a powder, is mixed with water, then hardens, and this process of transformation is evident in the final form. It is a very direct way of working, and you can see Bourgeois' hand in every lump and ridge. This way of working—so tactile and close to the body—is a world away from the slickness you might expect in a portrait. By choosing plaster, Bourgeois is turning away from the tradition of polished, refined sculpture, and staking out a new territory, one where the process of making is just as important as the final image. It invites us to consider how art can be both a physical process and an emotional expression.