Back in September, Stephen Curry challenged us to present reciprocal views on art that echoes our scientific interests. Although I’m not a medical doctor, but I play one on TV and my research doesn’t focus on anatomy, I do spend 15 to 20 hours each week, from July through November, teaching in human gross anatomy labs. Therefore, when I saw Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir’s human figure sculptures at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens this weekend, I thought they might fit in with Stephen’s idea about art intimating (anatomical, in this case) science.
Thórarinsdóttir lives and works in Reykjavik, and the human figure is the predominant theme in her metal sculptures. She uses her son as the model for plaster casts, streamlines the contours such that the resulting figures appear androgynous, and creates surface texture by adding leaves and branches to the plaster. Each plaster cast is used to create a sand mold for the molten iron. The figures in the Botanical Gardens exhibit are rust-colored; each has a narrow band of glass to represent both the treeless Icelandic horizon, and a window into the human soul.
Although the heads and necks of the sculptures are oddly smooth and lack the familiar surface features created by muscles, tendons, and cartilage, the hands are exquisitely detailed. I found the pensive, almost wistful expressions conveyed by the tilt of the head and neck to be especially enchanting.
The Horizons sculptures are arranged throughout the East Texas Pineywoods environment of the Botanical Gardens, which was developed with tons of sandy loam, hauled in to keep the pine, cypress, elm, and maple trees happy in the Hill Country area. Obviously, Iceland is pretty different from Texas, with the key difference being that there is no fudge pecan pie in Iceland. Nevertheless, Thórarinsdóttir’s sculptures almost seem to have adapted to their new wooded environment.
Hey Kristi – your photographs, and the sculptures, are really beautiful. As you say, the expressions are very emotive. Thanks for a wonderful post.
Thanks, Stephen – the SA Botanical Garden is a great place to take photos, with all the sculptures and amazing plants. I’d like to return and experience the Sensory Garden, designed for visually-impaired visitors (but open to all), while blindfolded or with eyes closed. I took a few photos of the sculptures and plants, but the point of course is to appeal to the senses of touch and smell.
We also saw an exhibition of George Rickey’s amazing kinetic sculptures at the McNay Art Museum, but it was very windy that day, and the pieces were moving too much for my limited skills at photography. Lots of physics and maths intimated in those sculptures.