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Body Language 2011 - A Group Show of Recent Figurative SculpturePost an Event »

A New Leaf Gallery | Sculpturesite

June 18 - September 5, 2011

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23588 Arnold Drive Hwy 121 Sonoma, CA 95476
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Recent figurative sculpture in wood, ceramic, bronze, resin and steel by seven sculptors. Featured artists include Emil Alzamora, Dina Angel-Wing, Jane Burton, Judson Chatfield, Carole Feuerman, Mike Riegel and Carol Schwartz. Alzamora and Schwartz are artists new to the gallery. Remarks gallery owner and curator Brigitte Micmacker, ―In our eighth exhibition focused on figurative sculpture since we opened 21 years ago, I seek to present an updated tribute to the most enduring subject in art. When many modern sculptors seemed to make the figure obsolete during the last century, only a handful, several who were based in California, persevered with their passion in depicting the human body. Now, figurative sculptors are once again acclaimed and appreciated.‖ Architect-turned-sculptor Carol Schwartz carves ponderous female figures from hundreds of assembled and laminated pieces of wood. Their polychromatic, textured surfaces exude a vibrant energy while their direct, frontal stance is reminiscent of ancient Asiatic sculpture, a strong influence for the artist. Schwartz states, ―When I began sculpting, I wanted to depart from geometric forms and use soft materials to explore the human figure. I quickly realized that I missed building. I now use drawing and building techniques that are familiar to me. My work is a continuous process of adding and taking away, and acts as a metaphor for our growth as human beings. Carol Schwartz sculptures are shown and collected throughout the United States. Widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading hyper-realist artists, New York-based Carole Feuerman creates breathtakingly real figures in resin, cast marble, and bronze. She applies dozens, sometimes hundreds, of coats of oil paint to create realistic flesh tones. ―I love the contradictions in this kind of work,‖ she says. ―Between soft flesh and hard material, or half-abstract, half-real…I want to have something of a contradiction. Feuerman has practiced her art for over 30 years. Her work has shown at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The State Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia and the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy. Among the honors Feuerman has received are the Amelia Peabody Award, the Betty Parsons Award, the Lorenzo de Medici Prize at the 2001 Biennale di Firenze from the City of Florence, Italy, and First Prize at both the 2008 Beijing Biennale and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Fine Arts Exhibition. Feuerman’s work is included in the collections of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Japan, former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, and the Forbes Magazine Collection, among others. Micmacker sums up the exhibit, ―This extensive exhibition reveals contemporary sculptural interpretations, from hyper-realistic to minimal. Representing a comprehensive range of techniques and materials, the pieces range from intimate works in ceramic to larger-than-life wood constructions. It is an exhibition not to be missed.