Sculpture "Head" (2015), bronze
Sculpture "Head" (2015), bronze
Quick info
unique | bronze | size 90 x 70 x 50 cm (h x w x d)
Detailed description
Sculpture "Head" (2015), bronze
Bronze sculpture, 2015. Height: 90 cm. Width: 70 cm. Depth: 50 cm.
About Tony Cragg
The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung called him "one of the most important sculptors of our time".
Sometimes massive, sometimes fragile and light, Cragg creates forms and figurations that not only stand-alone but also directly incorporate the space around them. His works can be seen in public spaces and important international museums such as the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Tate Gallery in London.
Tony Cragg is an admirer of materials: "Material is everything we know - everything that is in a space, even things like emotions and intelligence have a material basis. So, if thoughts and feelings also have a material basis, then you can guess how sublime the material is," the artist said in an interview.
Whether wood, stone, stainless steel, fibreglass, bronze, plastics, Styrofoam or Kevlar - Cragg breathes soul into the materials when he creates sculptures whose unknown, amorphous forms fascinate and at the same time and raise questions. He is only inspired by his thoughts: "My original interest in making images and objects was, and still is, creating things that do not exist in nature or our functional world. Objects that reflect and express my feelings towards the world and my existence".
Cragg's sculpture park in Wuppertal, Germany, where he exhibits both his works and objects by fellow sculptors, is also dedicated to the diversity of forms: "We don't want to create fancy shows, conceptual stuff, a decorative showroom, but a place for people who have an interest in sculpture, who are seriously interested in forms and their meaning."
Tony Cragg, born in 1949 in Liverpool, first worked as a biochemist in a research laboratory and later studied art at various British universities. He worked as a professor in Metz, Berlin and Düsseldorf, where he was also the rector of the local art academy. Cragg is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, London and the Akademie der Künste, Berlin, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and is a recipient of the 1st Class Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition to the Turner Prize, he also received the Praemium Imperiale.
Tony Cragg has lived and worked in Wuppertal since 1977.
An alloy of copper with other metals (especially with tin) used since ancient times.
When casting bronze, the artist usually applies the lost-wax technique which is dating back more than 5000 years. It's the best, but also the most complex method of producing sculptures.
First, the artist forms a model of his sculpture. It is embedded in a liquid silicone rubber mass. Once the material has solidified, the model is cut out. The liquid wax is poured into the negative mould. After cooling down, the wax cast is removed from the mould, provided with sprues and dipped into ceramic mass. The ceramic mass is hardened in a kiln, whereby the wax flows out (lost mould).
Now we finally have the negative form, into which the 1400° C hot molten bronze is poured. After the bronze had cooled down, the ceramic shell is broken off and the sculpture is revealed.
Now the sprues are removed, the surfaces are polished, patinated and numbered by the artist himself or, to his specifications, by a specialist. Thus, each casting becomes an original work.
For lower-quality bronze castings, the sand casting method is often used which, however, does not achieve the results of a more complex lost-wax technique in terms of surface characteristics and quality.
A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.
While sculptures from wood, ivory or stone are made directly from the block of material, in bronze casting a working model is prepared at first. Usually, it is made of clay or other easily mouldable materials.
The prime time of sculpture after the Greek and Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Contemporary artists such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz also enriched sculptures with outstanding works.