Willow, 2014
Willow, 2014
Bronze
235 (h) x 232 x 251 cm
92½ (h) x 91¼ x 98¾ in
92½ (h) x 91¼ x 98¾ in
Willow belongs to a group of about a dozen different works in a variety of materials and sizes. The bronze sculpture shown here is the largest one in this series. It grew out of the artist’s encounter with a willow tree near the house where he spends his summers. The sculpture’s layers of circular forms refer to becoming, moving and growing. Despite bronze being a hard metal, the sculptures soft, flowing forms seem to come alive, oscillating in contemplation between plant-like patterns, organic abstraction and protective folds.
Starting from drawings, Willow demonstrates Tony Cragg’s practice of taking intricate shapes, patterns and structures from the natural environment and visually transforming them. The artist’s themes and diverse vocabulary of forms stem as much from his study of organic life and microbiological structures as from his work with everyday materials and modern techniques. Cragg’s work addresses fundamental questions about the relationship between body, material, object and space. Thus, the artist explores the connection between staticity and movement, technology and nature, between a rational form and the emotion it evokes.
Starting from drawings, Willow demonstrates Tony Cragg’s practice of taking intricate shapes, patterns and structures from the natural environment and visually transforming them. The artist’s themes and diverse vocabulary of forms stem as much from his study of organic life and microbiological structures as from his work with everyday materials and modern techniques. Cragg’s work addresses fundamental questions about the relationship between body, material, object and space. Thus, the artist explores the connection between staticity and movement, technology and nature, between a rational form and the emotion it evokes.
