Austria-born, Germany-based sculptor Mario Dilitz creates realistic figurative sculptures out of wood that evoke an intense sense of vulnerability. The latest piece in the artist's body of work, known as Best Friend, depicts a tender character–a young boy holding onto his teddy bear. Standing atop a short pedestal made of laminated wood in the same likeness as the boy's own bare body, there are visible tree rings throughout, reflecting a history well beyond the young child's years.
Dilitz's sculpture, like the figurative wood works of Bruno Walpoth, manages to retain the brilliant, natural patterns of the material while simulating a breathtakingly realistic life-size figure that's capable of drawing an emotional response from viewers. This piece, in particular, presents an innocence in the child's lifelike eyes and posture that one can't help but respond to.
What differentiates Dilitz's remarkable sculptures is his piece by piece technique. His sculptures are the amalgamation of several pieces of carved wood. The artist attaches the separate components with red glue, a sort of life line that holds each figure together. The crimson adhesive can even be seen running through the body like a system of veins.
