"Fear" by Candice Raquel Lee

Fear: (edition of 8), bronze
Size (in): 7H x 3.5W x 4" D with round base.
$350 CAD including shipping

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The Sculpture: I made a version of Fear called Man Cannot Hide from the Wrath of God when I was about fifteen years old and decided to rework him now that my philosophy of life has matured along with my understanding of anatomy. I now see this piece as the embodiment of what fear is: something internal and intangible that affects all people at some point, from the tiniest child to the greatest warrior.

The power of the work lies in its depiction of a muscular man who nonetheless cringes in fear or horror from something unseen. There is no visible external cause for the figure's anxiety, for fear is entirely in one's mind. Fear is the smallest of my works, representing how small and helpless fear can make us feel, but also ultimately how small our fears themselves turn out to be upon rational consideration. The figure's arms scissor across his face to ward off imagined blows, but his fists are clenched, maintaining some modicum of defiance, which might turn into bravery if only he could overcome the self-imposed mental obstacles that characterize fear.

As an artist and writer, I am frequently plagued by fears and doubts--Am I good enough? Will I be able to accomplish something that I set out to do?--so it is therapeutic to see my sculpted Fear cringing from nothing, which helps to put things into perspective.

I am particularly proud of the exquisite anatomical detail of Fear's back. If one is going to turn tail and run, at least one can show a beautiful back while doing so. Because of its smaller size, Fear would make an excellent starter piece for the beginning collector of sculpture.

The Story: Years ago, I based the prototype for this sculpture on Edgar Allan Poe's prose poem "Silence - a Fable," which describes the efforts of a Demon to make a man flee in fear. Nothing--neither storms and chaos nor a wilderness of posionous flowers--works to move the man until the Demon makes the world entirely silent, upon which the man flees "afar off, in haste." Thinking on this story now, I realize that this fear of silence represents a fear of what one imagines, of nothing, and of nothingness.

E-mail: candice@candiceraquel.com | Phone: 519.853.9037