Roger Partridge
In the Greek section of the British Museum, there is a larger than life marble sculpture of a woman with drapery described as 'Colossal statue of a woman from the Mausoleum at Halikarnassos… around 350bc.'
This 'Colossal' figure carved from one block of marble, has been damaged, the head with the face smashed off and the arms are missing below the elbow. She stands, balanced, with weight on one leg, the form of her hips and legs defined and obscured by the bunched and hanging drapery.
Studying and drawing this sculpture as a student gave me a profound appreciation of the power of sculpture at its best. Embodied in this piece are many of the qualities and sculptural values which have nourished and inspired me throughout my career.
Material: Stone The stone and all its physical properties.
Time: The geological age of the stone, the time it was carved and the history of the sculpture itself.
External Forces: The energy required to damage the arms and the face reflected in the broken and brutal “interior” surface of the stone.
Internal Forces: The delicacy of the carved drapery envelope and define the form of the hips and legs which appear to push out against the folds.
Balance: The figure standing upright one foot lifted with all her weight on the other leg.
Separation and Connection: Both physical and emotional. The broken arms, originally outstretched in a gesture of mourning, still articulate grief and emotional loss.
This 'Colossal' figure carved from one block of marble, has been damaged, the head with the face smashed off and the arms are missing below the elbow. She stands, balanced, with weight on one leg, the form of her hips and legs defined and obscured by the bunched and hanging drapery.
Studying and drawing this sculpture as a student gave me a profound appreciation of the power of sculpture at its best. Embodied in this piece are many of the qualities and sculptural values which have nourished and inspired me throughout my career.
Material: Stone The stone and all its physical properties.
Time: The geological age of the stone, the time it was carved and the history of the sculpture itself.
External Forces: The energy required to damage the arms and the face reflected in the broken and brutal “interior” surface of the stone.
Internal Forces: The delicacy of the carved drapery envelope and define the form of the hips and legs which appear to push out against the folds.
Balance: The figure standing upright one foot lifted with all her weight on the other leg.
Separation and Connection: Both physical and emotional. The broken arms, originally outstretched in a gesture of mourning, still articulate grief and emotional loss.