Antony Gormley
Antony Gormley, Hold (2016)
Woodcut on Saunders 190 gsm smooth paper 237.1 x 134cm Edition of 5 Courtesy the artist and Alan Cristea Gallery 
Antony Gormley, Show (2016)
Crude oil, linseed oil and petroleum jelly on paper 237.1 x 134cm Courtesy the artist and Alan Cristea Gallery |
In 2014, British sculptor and artist Sir Antony Gormley exhibited Expansion Field - 60 large scale, dark, figurative steel sculptures, grouped in one room. Monumental and imposing, they were based on 3D pixelated scans of Gormley’s body in 21 different poses, which were then duly translated into towering, stacked, hollow steel boxes.
‘Hold’ is from the Woodblocks print series and reflects specific block figures within Expansion Field. The seven different standing poses in the series – the body to attention, arms stretched up or out, slightly tilted to one side – recall Michelangelo’s crucifixion drawings. They were created using inked-up square and rectangular sheets of low-grade plywood; the number of impressions made on a particular spot affects the density of the ink and creates shaded imagery similar to an X-ray. Alongside the Woodblocks print series, Gormley also created the Body Prints series. For these, Gormley’s body was covered in crude oil and linseed oil mixed with petroleum jelly; he then fell on sheets of paper laid on the floor. Gormley is widely acclaimed for his sculptures, installations and public artworks including the ‘Angel of the North’ in Gateshead and ‘One & Other’, a public art project in which 2,400 members of the public occupied the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in 2009 for an hour each for a period of 100 days. Antony Gormley’s work will be on display with Alan Cristea Gallery at Expo Chicago art fair, 22 – 25 September 2016, Booth 611 and IFPDA print fair (The International Art Fair for Prints & Editions) in New York, 3 – 9 November 2016 For more information, see alancristea.com Hedge, issue 43, November 2016, pp66-73 |