David Begbie Mesh Sculpture

"The Truncated Figure"

'ORSI', ‘ORSU' and 'ORSA' aret part of an ongoing series which are essentially a celebration of the human form where I have created contemporary archetypal iconic images of masculinity and femininity where each contains elements of the other. The figurative forms I make are often seen as perfect bodies and this relates to the classical greek archetypal figures which were given ‘classical proportions’ as an attempt to achieve images of perfection at that time. My figures however are not perfect but are instead ‘human’ which makes them much more interesting and indeed accessible.

The titles are adaptations of the word torso where letters are attributed to the masculinity and femininity of each sculpture.

These sculptures in particular deviate from the main direction in which my work has developed over the years as the vast majority of my torso sculptures, as opposed to the full-length figures, are usually suspended, floating freely in space devoid of all unnecessary structure and armature so that they can be viewed for what they are in their purity and simplicity which the medium demands so as to fulfil its potential to actually suggest that it doesn’t exist. The suspended sculptures are quite mysterious and compelling in this way.

'ORSI', ‘ORSU' and 'ORSA' were made forty years later when I decided to revisit my initial ideas and responses which inspired me at that time and which led to the structural solutions I originally used for presentation of the the early torso sculptures as they have an unselfconscious visual strength and charm, particularly for the smaller examples of my work as freestanding sculptures.

The origins of my decision to utilise the truncated figure or form as a discipline date back to 1980 when, as an art student, I visited the National Archeological museum in Athens, Greece, where at that time photography was forbidden so instead I did a series of sketchbook studies of broken truncated classical Greek stone carvings and became fascinated with the crude but inventive methods in which the sculptures were presented using steel rods to hoist them from their original stone bases into the position they would have been seen if they were undamaged full figures.

Small or miniature renditions of the human form are always a subject of great fascination and often prove the point that art does not have to be monumental to be of importance or to have a powerful presence. The transparent nature of the material I use to create my sculpture has no palpable substance or weight and yet somehow has a far greater physical presence than any solid form. With strategic lighting used to project a shadow of the sculpture on the wall or surface directly behind, the viewer will notice there appears to be far more detail and visual information in the shadow than in the torso itself. This is because as a three-dimensional spacial rendition only facets of the complete artwork can be seen at any one time or from any single viewpoint which adds to the enigmatic character of the individual piece. I often create a composition of sculpture and shadow in this way.

Much has been written over the years attempting to describe the visual presence of the diaphanous forms which I create but the simple truth is that a viewer has to see the actual sculpture to fully understand its properties because each artwork looks quite different when seen in various lighting conditions day and night as well as when placed in different settings. My favourite description of my sculpture was written by Sir Lawrence Gowing 40 years ago as part of an introduction to my first solo exhibition in London’s west-end and reads as follows:

David Begbie MRSS, 2023