Girl Putting on an Earring 1967

George Segal made this plaster sculpture of a seated nude, called *Girl Putting on an Earring*. I'm interested in the way the plaster gives the figure an unfinished quality. I like how you can see Segal's process here, his hand in the making. The plaster is built up in layers, giving a sense of texture and volume. It's almost like the figure is emerging from the material, caught in a moment of becoming. Look at the rough surface of the plaster, the way it catches the light, and the dark chair beneath her. It’s this tension between the concrete and the ethereal that really grabs me. The plaster creates a sense of vulnerability, as if the figure is exposed, unfinished, and raw. Then there’s the splash of color from the earring itself! Segal reminds me a little of Medardo Rosso, who was working in a similar way, thinking about form as something emerging and dissolving. Both artists leave us with a feeling that something is always on the verge of disappearing, or appearing, and isn't that life itself?