"NATURE STUDY" ['84-96]
LOUISE BOURGEOIS // 2007
[gold porcelain | 28 1/2 x 13 x 16 1/4"]
Cast in golden porcelain, Nature Study is a lustrous example of one of Louise Bourgeois’s most iconic sculptural forms. The chimeric creature squats on a pedestal: it has no head, three pairs of breasts, and a phallus between its muscular canine legs. Merging aspects of male, female, human and animal symbolism, it has the aura of an ancient idol or guardian deity. Bourgeois invokes the monsters of myth—satyr, sphinx, hydra, harpy—as well as the many-breasted mother-goddess Cybele, known in ancient Rome as Magna Mater or ‘Great Mother’. She identified Nature Study as a self-portrait, reflecting on her position as a nurturing and fiercely protective mother. The sculpture is alive with the primal physicality, emotive power and psychosexual intrigue that define her practice.
The artwork consists of biomorphic ceramic vases that, while abstract, evoke or refer to living forms. Each vase has been conceived as a self-portrait of the artist, attempting to synthesize the many facets of herself. The artist has brought to life a succession of forms, both digitally and in ceramic technique, to be considered as fragments of different moments that come together to recompose her soul in its complexity.
More on: https://www.vargroup.it/vda-autoritratti-invasi/
After months of studies, I think I've finally narrowed in on a concept for a full series: a combination of my organic carvings with vessels. What's made this possible is that I finally sat down and learned how to throw on the wheel last week. These are all pieces I've managed to make on the pottery wheel and then layered on my hand-built style.
I'm really excited with some of these. Now the tricky part: picking a glaze. This feels far more terrifying than any step in the process because it really can't be undone. I've been obsessing over different glazes and finishes and have been really indecisive about it. Hopefully I don't simmer too long; there is not enough space in my apartment to be storing in-between pieces.
Succulent stepwell. The leaves lithify over time to form a natural staircase, while the roots of the living plant tap into deep aquifers and draw water to the surface.