Expressions and Impressions In Bronze

Image copyright  Art  Di Lella

This the fifth installment of my Bronze series. This sculpture was originally inspired by a young woman who I saw in Florence,Italy in 1996.  I didn't attempt modelling her until early 2003. When I started working up the clay, I made the mistake of trying to copy her from memory and of course this led to absolute frustration. It just didn't work.
I needed to let go of this literal translation and try to work a little more intuitively. So, I removed the hair and left her bald, then played with different facial expressions to give additional drama to the face. I finally chose the sad face because it seemed to suit her better and I do remember the original person looking rather pensive perhaps even melancholy at the time.

Image copyright  Art  Di Lella

Image copyright  Art  Di Lella

Image copyright  Art  Di Lella

You may have noticed at the back and bottom of this sculpture some rods and tubes that are attached.  Those are the original feeds and venting artifacts of the bronze casting process. They are usually removed but I kept them as part of the sculpture because I wanted the object to  illustrate the relationship between modeling and casting and it's mutual dependency. I really wanted in this piece to marry the organic with the industrial which was a new approach for me at the time.
The casting was completed in 2004 and then it was later exhibited at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition in 2007.
Next week, I hope to have some new updates on BB and other stuff.
Have a great weekend, cheers!