Look at this statue and tell me what you
see.
 |
| No sculptures were harmed in the making of this sculpture. |
If you thought, “JESUS CHRIST! THOSE BABIES
JUST BEHEADED A DUDE!!” then you are not alone.
It turns out that it is an allegorical
representation of painting and sculpture, by Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert, a Flemish sculptor well
known for having far too many first names.
The problem with allegorizing sculpture in a sculpture is that you can’t
tell what is supposed to be the sculpture-in-sculpture. It doesn’t help that the product is not, say,
a full human form, or even a bust. Who
sculpts a decapitated head by itself?
That expression suggests the terror of one
about to meet his maker. Although in
this case, I suppose that’s not far off.
I would be terrified to learn my maker was a kid with a hammer poised
over my skull, too.
So is the allegory that the artist is giving in to the childlike innocence within and with an infants understanding of the world, sculpting what he sees? Or that you need to sacrifice your adult, jaundiced brain and give over to childlike wonder?
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, they don't look like they're filled with childlike wonder. They look like that decapitated head, possibly with the lifeblood still dripping from it, is just about the most boring, mundane thing around. The one looks like he's more interested in the blank canvas than in the skull he's leaning on. So maybe the allegory is to stay zen and not let anything distract you from your art (even if people are dying)?
DeleteHey kids, go play, will you? Here, take Uncle Bob's head. There you go. Have fun.
ReplyDeleteI hear the playground game "Kick the Head" is super popular with the kids these days. It saves on feeding unemployed Uncle Bob, too.
DeleteThe toddler with the tools doesn't begin to look as if it created the head. It's too bored to look at its own supposed creation. The one standing up has a pizza on its arm which I suspect it wants to feed to the head. Maybe its an allegory for force-feeding?
ReplyDeleteI did wonder at their boredom. Perhaps you're right - I now see it as a representation of the modern bombardment of the mind and senses with incessant media input (and tasty pizza).
DeleteAllegory my blue butt. Psycho kids is what this sculpture shows us.
ReplyDeleteI kind of wonder whether Jean-Pierre-Antoine had kids himself. It might explain a lot.
ReplyDeleteIt sure might.
DeleteI had to hide my baby's eyes from this one. Don't want her getting any ideas.
ReplyDelete