Sculpture One
Robert the Bruce by Benjamin Victor
1. First five thoughts that came into my mind were:
a.) Heroic
b.) Brave
c.) Powerful
d.) Battle
e.) Victorious
2. This is my favorite sculpture I encountered from the sculpture walk. This sculpture just evokes courage and strength, everything a king, such as Robert the Bruce, needs when he sets out for battle. This sculpture captured me, and I could picture Robert the Bruce riding in front of his men, readying them for the battle ahead, giving them a heroic speech. The thing I love most about this sculpture is the incredible details – from the ripples in the horse’s coat to the chain-mail of Robert’s armor, each circular chain linked and placed perfectly. This is truly an amazing piece of art.
3. There isn’t anything I dislike about this sculpture.
4. If I could afford such a wonderful sculpture, and if I had somewhere to display it, I would most certainly buy this sculpture. I would buy this piece because of the message it evokes, strength through hardship, and bravery. I would be able to walk by it every day and be reminded that there were worse things I could be going through, and it would remind me to be strong.
5. The subject matter of Robert the Bruce is bringing history to life. Through this sculpture, people can picture what Robert the Bruce would do before a battle. The symbolism of this piece is strictly bravery and heroism. The sculpture grabs a hold of the viewer and takes them back to the moment of this battle, as if they were one of the soldiers being prepared for battle.
6. This sculpture has a very strong frontal presentation although, the back of the sculpture is still visually interesting. The symbol of the lion, which appears on the king’s shield as well as the horse’s coat, is continued on the back portion of the sculpture, on the horse’s coat. The sculpture is located under a tree, which doesn’t allow for a lot of natural light. But this doesn’t harm the sculptures integrity in any way. This sculpture can stand anywhere and still have the same dramatic effect. The artist used his materials in a variety of ways, first he had to sculpt the form and then come back in later with the details, such as the chain-mail, which was delicately placed, one piece at a time, in order to create a more realistic feel to the piece.
7. This sculpture defiantly has a realistic style and is a concrete representation. I would say it is more geometric in form because it has many shapes and the horse’s coat portrays movement. The sculpture is definitely very detailed and has a lot of textures, such as the rough chain-mail and ripples in the horse’s coat, to enhance the piece.
Sculpture Two
Katrina by Osamede Obazee
1. First five thoughts that came into my mind were:
a.) Strange
b.) Fragile
c.) Windy
d.) Nature
e.) Broken
2. The thing I like about this sculpture is the emotions it evokes. The sculpture was made in remembrance of Hurricane Katrina, and when a viewer looks at it they can see the distress in the woman’s face. Also, the sculpture is made in a way that has you picture what this woman must have been going through – the extreme wind and chaos. The umbrella is broken, yet the woman still holds on, as if it was her last hope.
3. The thing I don’t like about this sculpture is the cut-outs in the body – on her legs and arms. I understand that they might be an artistic expression, but in my opinion, I lose a lot of the realistic feel. The sculpture represents something so important and then the cut-outs make it seem like there is something else the artist wanted to represent, but it isn’t as straightforward or clear to all viewers.
4. I don’t think I would purchase Katrina. It doesn’t speak to me in a way that would make me want to see it every day. I don’t feel a strong connection to this sculpture in order to purchase it.
5. The subject matter of this Katrina is nature. Nature, in this case, being a hurricane – one most American’s can remember. The woman seems to be running from danger, and the viewer can tell that it is very windy, not only by the movement depicted in her dress, but also the umbrella and the fact that it is broken. The symbolism of this piece represents Hurricane Katrina in a way most viewers can picture it, through the woman’s point of view. The viewer can look at the piece and see that the woman is in distress.
6. This sculpture has more a 360 degree view strength than just at a frontal position. It doesn’t matter where the viewer stands around the piece; it still evokes the same thoughts and emotions. This artist used scrap metal as his material of choice. It is used in a way that makes the piece seem fragile. As I was viewing this piece, it became very windy and the umbrella was wobbling in the wind. This shows that the artist wanted to add some realistic elements to his piece. The woman is trapped in a hurricane, and if the piece was sturdier, it would take away from the emotions it portrays.
7. The style of Katrina is geometric – there are many different shapes, the roundness of the legs, the jagged angles of her dress and the shapes within the cut-outs of her arms and legs. Some parts of the structure are smooth while other parts have pattern, the pattern within the cut-outs being one example. There is also a rough texture to the woman’s hair, made from twisted metal. Overall, I would say this piece is a concrete representation, intertwined with a few abstract details.
Sculpture Three
Wings by Felix Velez
1. First five thoughts that came into my mind were:
a.) Majestic
b.) Peaceful
c.) Religious
d.) Smooth
e.) Angel
2. What I really like about this sculpture is the emotions it evokes. You can tell that this is a very religious piece at first glance. The longer you look at it, the more it envelops you and tells a story. Another aspect of this piece I really like is the stone material used and how smooth the piece is. It adds finesse to the sculpture.
3. There isn’t anything that I dislike about this sculpture.
4. If I had the money and/or proper place to display this sculpture I would buy it. It is beautiful, magical, and really tells a story. As I was looking at this sculpture, under the name of the piece I saw a message from the artist explaining what the sculpture represents – the lost promises to God. The man in the sculpture, because of his guilt, straps wings to himself in order to become more angelic. I would buy this piece so I would remember every day to live life the way God wants me to.
5. I believe that the subject matter of Wings is religion and faith. I think that the artist wanted the viewers to feel a connection to God and to be reminded of everything he has given us, and we shall keep the promises we have made to him.
6. This sculpture is very strong from the front but that doesn’t eliminate its visual interest from all sides. As I was walking around the sculpture I enjoyed it more and more. You can really capture the essence of the piece by walking around it and not just looking at it from one point of view. The sculpture is very smooth and looks like stone of some kind. The smoothness enhances the piece and brings softness to the sculpture.
7. In my opinion this sculpture, because of its smoothness, is more rounded. There are portions of the piece that are detailed and textured, such as the hair and the wings. But for the most part this sculpture is very simplistic. In my mind this sculpture is more abstract than a concrete representation because it is like a metaphor. The wings are a metaphor for turning his life around, as this man, depicted in the sculpture, regains faith and reassembles his life in order to become more angelic and focus on God.
