Transcending the Moment

 

Above: Dying Gaul, Hellenistic Roman sculpture. Left to right: Venus of Willendorf, 28,000 BC; Ancient Greek Kouros figures, 580 BCE; Daphne and Apollo by Lorenzo Bernini 1625; Beatrice Cenci by Harriet Hosmer 1857; Lateral Move by Georgianna Krieger, early Twenty-first Century

Art is a continuum. Working in a tradition that goes back thousands of years. There is something primal in a three dimensional work that we relate to regardless of our culture, education or even our era. Today, much contemporary "sculpture" is temporary. There will be nothing left of it 2000 years from now, but perhaps a bronze or glass piece may survive to tell something about the human condition at the dawn of the 21st century.  Sculpture has a rare ability to turn up in the hands of a person many hundreds or thousands of years in the future.

I think you could say that our culture has decided that all representational sculpture is idolatry and academia has largely rejected it today. I would say that while the temporary works of our day do speak to the fast paced, disposable nature of our culture (and they can be fun and thought provoking), they do not satisfy a basic human need to transcend the moment and aspire to something unattainable yet worth reaching towards.

For as long as I can remember, ancient sculpture has spoken to me. Ancient sculpture tells us clearly what was important to the people who created it. It challenges our assumptions about humanity and all that is possible. It whispers quietly about the lives of people who came before us. In my work I strive to contribute to that long-term conversation. Perhaps this is too earnest for the contemporary art world, but,  it is what truly motivates me in my work.

Copyright © 2018 Georgianna Krieger. All rights reserved.
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