{"title":"Figurative Sculpture","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"orpheo","title":"Orpheo","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOrpheo\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1993\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSigned:\u003c\/b\u003e Stephanie McDonald\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBronze Edition VI\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 74 × 54 × 27 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCast:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ken Cook\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eOrpheo\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e is a bronze portrait of my cousin, Peter Fuller, sculpted when he was twenty-one. While making the work I was reading \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e, and the portrait gradually evolved beyond a straightforward likeness into a figure shaped by classical mythology. The title references Orpheus, the legendary poet and musician whose journey between the worlds of the living and the dead has resonated through Western art and literature for centuries.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe sculpture was cast in two editions by the renowned bronze founder Ken Cook, each with a distinct patina, emphasising how colour can subtly transform the character of a bronze while preserving the same sculptural form. Over many years Ken cast many of my bronzes, and his mastery of patination became an integral part of the finished works.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eOrpheo\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e was exhibited at the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s3\"\u003eDelaney Galleries\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s3\"\u003eCoventry Gallery\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s3\"\u003eChristine Abrahams Gallery\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e during the 1990s, before one edition was later installed at Orion Sculpture Park and Gardens near Yass, where it became part of the permanent collection displayed within the landscape. These exhibitions chart the early development of my sculptural practice across Australia.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWhile reading \u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e, the portrait gradually evolved into \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOrpheo\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e, drawing on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Rather than illustrating the story directly, I wanted to capture the instant Orpheus turns for his final glance at Eurydice. Writing for my Coventry Gallery exhibition in 1994, David Matthews described the sculpture as having “intense physical life”, with “the muscles tautening as the head turns round for the fatal glance back at Eurydice.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eDavid Matthews also concludes:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e“Stephanie McDonald has developed a rich symbolic language for her sculpture… Artists who work within a tradition have access to a complexity of reference that is denied to those who deliberately reject the past.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e© Stephanie Fuller (Burns)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stephanie Fuller Gallery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41237203877960,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0277\/9312\/9577\/files\/IMG_5671.jpg?v=1784903545"},{"product_id":"peter-fuller-sculpture","title":"Peter Fuller Sculpture","description":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeter Fuller\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e1991\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e(signed Stephanie McDonald)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBronze Original \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eUnique\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 124 × 81 × 160 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCast:\u003c\/strong\u003e by Red Bronze, London.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003ePeter is shown seated in his writing chair, holding the small marble copy of the \u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVenus de Milo\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e that he treasured. The ancient Greek sculpture features prominently in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eArt and Psychoanalysis\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e, where Peter reflected on the changing ways we understand classical sculpture. By placing one sculpture within another, I wanted to acknowledge both Peter’s engagement with the classical tradition and my own discipline as a sculptor. The Venus becomes a dialogue between ancient and contemporary sculpture, between the critic and the sculptor, and between looking at art and making it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe sculpture was begun in plaster in 1990, two months after I left hospital. I first established the full life-sized figure before sculpting Peter’s head and hands separately in clay and integrating them into the completed body. Building the portrait in this way allowed me to concentrate first on the physical presence and gesture of the figure before turning to the individuality expressed through the face and hands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAs I was making the sculpture, my friend Diane Simmons came to return a shirt I had bought Peter, one he had never had the chance to wear. Seeing the unfinished portrait for the first time made a profound impression on her. She later recreated that experience in her novel \u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eFinding a Way\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e, where she describes her first encounter with the sculpture.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eDiane’s account captures the extraordinary experience of encountering a sculpture that was created entirely from memory. For me, the work became a testament to the discipline of sculpture itself. Years of studying anatomy, proportion and observation had become instinctive, allowing me to recreate not only Peter’s likeness but also something of his presence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWhen Peter’s unworn shirt fitted the completed figure perfectly, it confirmed that the work had become more than a likeness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0277\/9312\/9577\/files\/IMG_5830.jpg?v=1785154219\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis is the plaster version.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eFor me, the sculpture remains a testament to the enduring discipline of figurative sculpture: the ability, through years of observation and understanding of human form, to recreate not only a likeness but the powerful illusion of presence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003ePeter Fuller (1947–1990) was one of Britain’s leading art critics, writer and editor of \u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eModern Painters\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e. We were together for six years, marrying in 1985, and shared a life shaped by art, literature and intellectual curiosity. Our conversations ranged across painting, sculpture, literature, philosophy and psychology, each deepening the other’s understanding of the world. This portrait is both a tribute to Peter’s life and work and a reflection of the creative partnership we shared.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e© Stephanie Fuller (Burns)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stephanie Fuller Gallery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41240038309960,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0277\/9312\/9577\/files\/IMG_5829.jpg?v=1785154097"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0277\/9312\/9577\/collections\/IMG_5671.jpg?v=1785154076","url":"https:\/\/stephaniefullergallery.com\/collections\/figurative-sculpture.oembed","provider":"Stephanie Fuller Gallery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}