Willem Boshoff, 300 Water Nymphs ,2011
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Notes : 300 Water Nymphs is a singular granite sculpture that pays homage to an ancient Greek concept of special female entities - the nymphs, that protect and comfort various aspects of water. A nymph is a mythological spirit of nature imagined as a beautiful maiden inhabiting the sea, rivers, woods, mountains or other natural locations. The Greek word nymph originally meant ‘bride’, suggesting that the relationship between a nymph and the area of her influence was that of husband and wife. The ‘nymph’ or ‘bride’ was ideally a desirable woman of extreme beauty, a woman men might long for and with whom they could spend all their days. Water nymphs are associated with various locations of water such as the sea, rivers, dams, lakes, wells, streams and so on. Only the names of nymphs appear on the sculpture. For my sculptures I mostly use Belfast Black granite, an igneous material formed by magma or lava (molten rock) cooling and becoming solid. This means that, at some point in time immemorial, granite was a liquid. By polishing the natural rock, I take it back, to some degree, to its molten, amorphous constituency. In a way the liquid form of the stone as molten lava is associated with water as the liquid form of ice. The ultimate shape of my stone sculptures should look as if it has something to do with the rock’s history, with its own ‘memory’ of its liquid essence being moulded and settling in a place. The water nymphs and the liquid stone are both historical highlights in the history of the world we live in. The soil, the bedrock and the earth contains a record (some would even say memory) of past events. The Belfast Black stone is selected from the farm Boschpoort. This black granite is one of the most impervious stones. It is highly prized and its market value exceeds that of most other granite materials. From the artist Willem Boshoff
Condition_report : The overall condition is good. Abrasions in areas.
