Visual Symbol Sculptures

Woman

Clay, gold paint

4"x 2"

Mind Palace

Clay, gold paint

3.5" x 3"

Reflection Statement

The clay sculpture, entitled ‘Woman” was inspired by classic sculptures and the experience of being a woman. My intent was to visually communicate the power that woman hold and the sort of realization that we are more than what people perceive. I wanted to focus on the nude form because I didn’t want it to be constricted. This woman is free and I wanted that to be recognized. I decided to use the gold paint as to not take away from the sculpture itself with too much color and I thought that it was fitting because my symbols were crowns. I felt the work was lacking an element of disruption so I decided to break one of the crowns to show that despite loss, and setbacks women still contain so much worth.This piece helped me to explore the themes of the feminine experience and I hope to continue exploring and using these ideas throughout my future work.

Research

https://www.louvre.fr/en/explore/the-palace/ideal-greek-beauty

"The lack of arms made it hard to identify the statue. Many depictions of Greek gods and goddesses contain clues to their identity in the form of ‘attributes’ (objects or natural elements) held in their hands, so this sculpture poses a problem: is she the sea goddess Amphitrite, particularly worshipped on the island of Melos? Or is she Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, as might be suggested by her sensual, half-naked body?"

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/254697

"Statues of Aphrodite in the nude proliferated during the Hellenistic period. All were inspired to some degree by the Aphrodite of Knidos, created in the fourth century B.C. by the famous Greek sculptor Praxiteles. That statue, the first major Greek work to show the goddess nude, was celebrated throughout antiquity."

https://www.bradley.edu/sites/bodyproject/standards/

"Such variations in ideals of beauty often reflect the roles women and men are expected to fulfill in a given society. For instance, in contexts where women are valued mainly for their fertility—their ability to bear and nurture children—often full-bodied women with broad hips and ample breasts are considered the most beautiful. In societies such as Fiji, large bodies are a symbol of one’s status and power. It is not surprising, therefore, that individuals who would be classified as obese in the US are considered the most attractive and desirable members of this culture."

Inspiration