self-portrait
Assume that Fortuna by Helaine Blumenfeld is a portrait. Then, what kind of person is presented? We see an artwork that is more than humans height, that shines, that curves, that has forms in more directions, that seems to feel soft. I see small rough spots somewhere on the top right side.
This human stands strong. Strong lines run from the ground which form together shining surfaces which seem to feel soft. This gives me peace of mind. It seems to me there is a loving base.
Somewhere in the middle, a lot is happening at the same time; a deep furrow curves to the inside, to the left and to the right a wing spreads to the outside. Here also, the surface is shining and it seems they are soft to touch. These movements are swift, is my feeling. I found it disturbing, to find a rough tear starting from the bottom of the furrow.
I get a little scared of the sight on the topside. In the soft surfaces appear more tears as well as small rough spots. At the junction of the left-side and the right-side runs a rough crack.
The forms could be read as the history of a person; the beginning of the life is on bottom and the current life is at the top.
It seems to me, that Fortuna is a strong and loving person that is signed by a rapid change (near the furrow) and powerfully developed (the wings) and is completed while the damage is showed (the tears).
By Theo, www.artatsite.com
Vertaling
zelfportret
Stel dat Fortuna van Helaine Blumenfeld een portret is. Wat voor mens wordt dan uitgebeeld? We zien een kunstwerk is dat m r dan menshoog is, dat glimt, dat welft, dat vormen heeft in meerdere richtingen, dat zacht lijkt te voelen. Ik zie kleine ruwe plekjes ergens bovenin aan de voorkant.
Deze mens staat stevig. Er lopen krachtige lijnen uit de ondergrond, die tezamen glimmende vlakken vormen die zacht lijken te zijn. Dit geeft mij een rustig gevoel. Het lijkt mij dat er een liefdevolle basis is.
Ergens halverwege gebeurt er veel tegelijk: er is een diepe plooi naar binnen, naar links en rechts spreidt een vleugel naar de buitenkant. Ook hier glimt het oppervlakte en lijkt zacht te voelen. Deze bewegingen gaan snel naar mijn gevoel. Verontrustend vind ik een ruwe scheur vanaf de onderkant van de plooi.
Ik schrik een beetje van hetgeen ik aan de bovenzijde zie. In de zachte vlakken verschijnen m rdere scheuren en ook kleine ruwe plekjes. Bij de verbinding van de linker en rechter vleugel loopt een ruwe scheur.
De vormen kunnen gelezen worden als de geschiedenis van een persoon: het begin van het leven aan de onderkant, het huidige leven aan de bovenkant.
Het lijkt mij dat Fortuna een krachtige en liefdevolle mens te zijn dat getekend is bij een snelle verandering (bij de plooi) en zich krachtig heeft ontplooid (de vleugels) en zich compleet heeft ontwikkelt terwijl de beschadigingen getoond worden (de scheuren).
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com
www.canarywharf.com:
She wanted Fortuna to say something about the human condition: turbulence, commitment, fragility, hope, inner strength, joy dependency, continuity and, above all, beauty. Helaine was delighted to see that people quickly identified the space by the sculpture using it as a location for meeting up or for sharing picnics.
www.helaineblumenfeld.com:
By placing Fortuna, Metamorphosis, Ascent, Spirit of Life works at strategic points at Canary Wharf London, they might conjure those vital qualities of human spirit and energy missing from their masterplans, like a form of sculptural socio-geographic acupuncture. Certainly, within the bland, bombastic, corporate architecture of Canary Wharf a piece of city invented in the 1980s out of bombed docklands such life is needed, especially after the coronavirus crisis has turned it into a ghost town.
www.helaineblumenfeld.com:
'In a certain way this is the right moment for this exhibition, she says. I almost named the exhibition Toward the Precipice. In fact, there is a sculpture of that name as you enter the lobby of One Canada Square whose angled planes articulate extraordinary tension, as if arching over a cliff edge. She says: That was really the driving force of this whole exhibition, the feeling that our society is heading towards a precipice. And, in a sense, I feel that s where we are now. For me, the precipice is to do with so many things it has to do with empathy and communication between human beings we have so many opportunities through technology to come together, but we haven t. We can have so many different perspectives, but we re all human, we re all in it together. Suddenly to be plunged into this moment is quite amazing for me. In the end, I didn t call this exhibition Toward the Precipice, because one of my sons said it was too negative. He said: All your work is about looking up, towards the spiritual world. And I realised that Looking Up is a good title, too. This (situation) isn t it: this isn t the whole world. We can look up and see another way of communicating, another way of empathising with each other. I m feeling quite positive about it. In fact, (the exhibition) couldn t have come at a better time. People who have seen the outdoor works have been communicating with me. They have told me this work has given them solace.'
www.sculpturemagazine.art:
'Beginning with the first pieces, I felt a certainty. I knew that this was what I was meant to be doing. My grounding in philosophy continues to inform the concepts and themes that I explore in my work.'
'I learned to mold clay, carve wood and stone, and I even attempted welding. Above all, Zadkine taught me what it means to be an artist. Working in Paris with Zadkine, I began to understand that being a sculptor is a way of life it requires an almost total commitment.'
www.sculpturemagazine.art:
'Every aspect of creativity involves risk. Creating a work of art is a continuous struggle between chaos and order. I begin every new sculpture without any preconceived idea of what I am going to do. I have no inner structure, no drawings. In creating the work, I am creating the very conditions of uncertainty. This self-crisis drives my initial process. There is the risk of not knowing where I will begin, not knowing where the work is going, not knowing if it will ultimately reflect my vision, and then not knowing if my vision will mirror only my subconscious or resonate with viewers.'
'Each time I start a new piece I always begin working directly in clay I tap into a part of myself with which I normally have little contact. The key for me is to almost lose consciousness, to enter a state where I have no sense of time. Initially I achieved this state by listening to music, but gradually, just entering my studio opens up another world. I can work through the night for days even if inspired. Eventually, a form will emerge that expresses what I am feeling. All of my work begins in this way. This is the most important aspect of my creative process my hands are in direct contact with my subconscious. At this point, I go into the next stage, which is to translate the rough model resulting from a state touched by inspiration into a finished sculptural model. I must be able to stand back from the work, judge it, and understand how it can be improved. I have to switch from working emotionally through my subconscious to making a reasoned, intellect-driven appraisal. I am constantly aware of the need for both emotion and reason in my creative process.'
'The work I do in clay contains the energy, the vision, and the emotional landscape that will set the parameters for the completed work. I can create the initial model in a few days. Refining the plaster, casting it in bronze, or carving it in marble can take months, even years. Although my essential process does not vary, my experience will differ from one sculpture to another.'
www.wikipedia.org;
Helaine Blumenfeld (born 1942) is an American sculptor particularly known for her large-scale public sculptures. She creates works primarily in marble and bronze but also in granite and other materials. Examples of her work are in the collections of Clare College, Cambridge, the Courtauld Gallery and the Smithsonian.
Amongst her large-scale public works are Family in granite installed in Henry Reuss Federal Plaza in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Tempesta in marble at The Lancasters, London; and Fortuna in bronze at Canary Wharf, London. A fellow and past vice president of the Royal British Society of Sculptors, Blumenfeld was awarded an Honorary OBE in 2011. She lives in the United Kingdom and works there and in Pietrasanta, in Tuscany in central Italy.www.wikipedia.org:
Helaine Blumenfeld OBE (born, New York 1942) is an American Sculptor working in Britain and Italy, best known as an artist who has pioneered new methods of carving in stone and for her semi-abstract marble, granite and bronze sculptures which are located around the world as Public art. Her forms are often abstractions of human forms and of elements in nature. She is widely recognized as the most significant sculptor of her generation and the heir apparent to Moore and Hepworth.
Assume that Fortuna by Helaine Blumenfeld is a portrait. Then, what kind of person is presented? We see an artwork that is more than humans height, that shines, that curves, that has forms in more directions, that seems to feel soft. I see small rough spots somewhere on the top right side.
This human stands strong. Strong lines run from the ground which form together shining surfaces which seem to feel soft. This gives me peace of mind. It seems to me there is a loving base.
Somewhere in the middle, a lot is happening at the same time; a deep furrow curves to the inside, to the left and to the right a wing spreads to the outside. Here also, the surface is shining and it seems they are soft to touch. These movements are swift, is my feeling. I found it disturbing, to find a rough tear starting from the bottom of the furrow.
I get a little scared of the sight on the topside. In the soft surfaces appear more tears as well as small rough spots. At the junction of the left-side and the right-side runs a rough crack.
The forms could be read as the history of a person; the beginning of the life is on bottom and the current life is at the top.
It seems to me, that Fortuna is a strong and loving person that is signed by a rapid change (near the furrow) and powerfully developed (the wings) and is completed while the damage is showed (the tears).
By Theo, www.artatsite.com
Vertaling
zelfportret
Stel dat Fortuna van Helaine Blumenfeld een portret is. Wat voor mens wordt dan uitgebeeld? We zien een kunstwerk is dat m r dan menshoog is, dat glimt, dat welft, dat vormen heeft in meerdere richtingen, dat zacht lijkt te voelen. Ik zie kleine ruwe plekjes ergens bovenin aan de voorkant.
Deze mens staat stevig. Er lopen krachtige lijnen uit de ondergrond, die tezamen glimmende vlakken vormen die zacht lijken te zijn. Dit geeft mij een rustig gevoel. Het lijkt mij dat er een liefdevolle basis is.
Ergens halverwege gebeurt er veel tegelijk: er is een diepe plooi naar binnen, naar links en rechts spreidt een vleugel naar de buitenkant. Ook hier glimt het oppervlakte en lijkt zacht te voelen. Deze bewegingen gaan snel naar mijn gevoel. Verontrustend vind ik een ruwe scheur vanaf de onderkant van de plooi.
Ik schrik een beetje van hetgeen ik aan de bovenzijde zie. In de zachte vlakken verschijnen m rdere scheuren en ook kleine ruwe plekjes. Bij de verbinding van de linker en rechter vleugel loopt een ruwe scheur.
De vormen kunnen gelezen worden als de geschiedenis van een persoon: het begin van het leven aan de onderkant, het huidige leven aan de bovenkant.
Het lijkt mij dat Fortuna een krachtige en liefdevolle mens te zijn dat getekend is bij een snelle verandering (bij de plooi) en zich krachtig heeft ontplooid (de vleugels) en zich compleet heeft ontwikkelt terwijl de beschadigingen getoond worden (de scheuren).
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com
www.canarywharf.com:
She wanted Fortuna to say something about the human condition: turbulence, commitment, fragility, hope, inner strength, joy dependency, continuity and, above all, beauty. Helaine was delighted to see that people quickly identified the space by the sculpture using it as a location for meeting up or for sharing picnics.
www.helaineblumenfeld.com:
By placing Fortuna, Metamorphosis, Ascent, Spirit of Life works at strategic points at Canary Wharf London, they might conjure those vital qualities of human spirit and energy missing from their masterplans, like a form of sculptural socio-geographic acupuncture. Certainly, within the bland, bombastic, corporate architecture of Canary Wharf a piece of city invented in the 1980s out of bombed docklands such life is needed, especially after the coronavirus crisis has turned it into a ghost town.
www.helaineblumenfeld.com:
'In a certain way this is the right moment for this exhibition, she says. I almost named the exhibition Toward the Precipice. In fact, there is a sculpture of that name as you enter the lobby of One Canada Square whose angled planes articulate extraordinary tension, as if arching over a cliff edge. She says: That was really the driving force of this whole exhibition, the feeling that our society is heading towards a precipice. And, in a sense, I feel that s where we are now. For me, the precipice is to do with so many things it has to do with empathy and communication between human beings we have so many opportunities through technology to come together, but we haven t. We can have so many different perspectives, but we re all human, we re all in it together. Suddenly to be plunged into this moment is quite amazing for me. In the end, I didn t call this exhibition Toward the Precipice, because one of my sons said it was too negative. He said: All your work is about looking up, towards the spiritual world. And I realised that Looking Up is a good title, too. This (situation) isn t it: this isn t the whole world. We can look up and see another way of communicating, another way of empathising with each other. I m feeling quite positive about it. In fact, (the exhibition) couldn t have come at a better time. People who have seen the outdoor works have been communicating with me. They have told me this work has given them solace.'
www.sculpturemagazine.art:
'Beginning with the first pieces, I felt a certainty. I knew that this was what I was meant to be doing. My grounding in philosophy continues to inform the concepts and themes that I explore in my work.'
'I learned to mold clay, carve wood and stone, and I even attempted welding. Above all, Zadkine taught me what it means to be an artist. Working in Paris with Zadkine, I began to understand that being a sculptor is a way of life it requires an almost total commitment.'
www.sculpturemagazine.art:
'Every aspect of creativity involves risk. Creating a work of art is a continuous struggle between chaos and order. I begin every new sculpture without any preconceived idea of what I am going to do. I have no inner structure, no drawings. In creating the work, I am creating the very conditions of uncertainty. This self-crisis drives my initial process. There is the risk of not knowing where I will begin, not knowing where the work is going, not knowing if it will ultimately reflect my vision, and then not knowing if my vision will mirror only my subconscious or resonate with viewers.'
'Each time I start a new piece I always begin working directly in clay I tap into a part of myself with which I normally have little contact. The key for me is to almost lose consciousness, to enter a state where I have no sense of time. Initially I achieved this state by listening to music, but gradually, just entering my studio opens up another world. I can work through the night for days even if inspired. Eventually, a form will emerge that expresses what I am feeling. All of my work begins in this way. This is the most important aspect of my creative process my hands are in direct contact with my subconscious. At this point, I go into the next stage, which is to translate the rough model resulting from a state touched by inspiration into a finished sculptural model. I must be able to stand back from the work, judge it, and understand how it can be improved. I have to switch from working emotionally through my subconscious to making a reasoned, intellect-driven appraisal. I am constantly aware of the need for both emotion and reason in my creative process.'
'The work I do in clay contains the energy, the vision, and the emotional landscape that will set the parameters for the completed work. I can create the initial model in a few days. Refining the plaster, casting it in bronze, or carving it in marble can take months, even years. Although my essential process does not vary, my experience will differ from one sculpture to another.'
www.wikipedia.org;
Helaine Blumenfeld (born 1942) is an American sculptor particularly known for her large-scale public sculptures. She creates works primarily in marble and bronze but also in granite and other materials. Examples of her work are in the collections of Clare College, Cambridge, the Courtauld Gallery and the Smithsonian.
Amongst her large-scale public works are Family in granite installed in Henry Reuss Federal Plaza in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Tempesta in marble at The Lancasters, London; and Fortuna in bronze at Canary Wharf, London. A fellow and past vice president of the Royal British Society of Sculptors, Blumenfeld was awarded an Honorary OBE in 2011. She lives in the United Kingdom and works there and in Pietrasanta, in Tuscany in central Italy.www.wikipedia.org:
Helaine Blumenfeld OBE (born, New York 1942) is an American Sculptor working in Britain and Italy, best known as an artist who has pioneered new methods of carving in stone and for her semi-abstract marble, granite and bronze sculptures which are located around the world as Public art. Her forms are often abstractions of human forms and of elements in nature. She is widely recognized as the most significant sculptor of her generation and the heir apparent to Moore and Hepworth.