London-based artist Michael James Talbot creates beautiful sculptures of elongated women inspired by Greek mythology and Venetian masquerades. The surreal representations merge the human form with abstract and exaggerated shapes, most often presenting a visual extension of the female's garment. Altogether the sculptures stand tall, some even reaching heights greater than 6 feet tall.
The sculptor manages to seamlessly integrate the dramatic stretch of the bottom half of each figure in an unobtrusive way. Sometimes the woman's foot will peek out, high above the granite base, though often the illusion of the draping material elegantly runs straight down to the bottom. The elaborate length seems to complement the figurative structures.
Talbot creates his captivating pieces by molding clay and casting each sculpture in bronze. He then proceeds to finish with chemical patination, adding a new sense of character to the already expressive figures. The artist says, “The human form gives me an endless source of inspiration. The subtlest of movements and expressions can be captured in the sculpture to portray a myriad of emotions and convey tension, drama, fluidity and grace. No other subject has this richness of emotional and spiritual content or the capacity to convey such a broad and interesting narrative.”
Michael James Talbot on Calken Gallery
via [Guenther Hans Rudi]
