Dimensions: object: 584 x 584 x 368 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This is Sir Alfred Gilbert’s bronze bust of George Frederic Watts. The way the material catches the light gives it a fluid, almost lifelike quality. How would you describe this work? Curator: The choice of bronze is critical. Its industrial production contrasts with the individual artistry celebrated in portraiture. Gilbert's skill lies in manipulating the material to suggest not just likeness, but status and power. Editor: So, you’re saying the material itself speaks to something beyond just the image of Watts? Curator: Precisely. Consider the labor, the consumption inherent in the bronze casting process itself. Doesn't that alter how we view Watts' artistic legacy? Editor: That shifts my perspective entirely. I hadn't considered the material's story. Curator: It's a potent reminder that art is not just about the subject, but also the means of its making.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/gilbert-george-frederic-watts-om-ra-n01949
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This bust of the famous Victorian painter and sculptor, was commissioned by his wife, and took more than Gilbert's usual number of sittings. Mrs Watts wrote that 'Sir Frederic Leighton gave it high praise ... I remember his passing his hands over the planes of the cheek-bone and then to the planes of the coat, saying 'It could not be better', and Signor [Watts] agreed with him, remarking how far finer a coat became in sculpture when treated in such a manner than any artificial drapery; and they congratulated each other on the disappearance of the bathing-towel from the shoulders of a modern bust.' Gilbert refused any payment for the bust, and in return Watts painted his portrait. Gallery label, February 2010
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