Recumbent Nude (Including Base)
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Notes : "I have always found the female figure fascinating, the image in my mind has already been simplified before I start. No complicated bulging muscles, but gentle flowing curves. My figures, although reclining, are not static but full of movement. I use the suggestion of drapes to reveal the sinuous quality of inner muscular tensions. I emphasize these curves using the natural flow of line and direction." (Shawzin) Her sculptures are not mimetic; Shawzin wishes to communicate her emotional reactions to her subjects rather than naturalistic representations: "A face that is featureless can be, through the tilt of the head, as expressive as a face with features and have more impact because the simplification avoids distraction...It is in the form that I try to convey the inner tensions and feelings I wish to portray in each particular piece." The anonymity of the figures lend Shawzin's sculptures universal relevance. Elevated above the preoccupations of the present moment, her works have a timeless appeal. The featureless faces necessarily engage the viewer in the creative process; denied the conventional indicators of expression, we are encouraged to supply our own meanings. Bibliography Lord St John of Fawsley and Prof. V.T Wechter, Stella Shawzin Recent Sculpture, (1994), pp.6-7. Stella Shawzin, Artist's Statement as quoted on website http://www.stellashawzin.co.uk/press.php
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