|
|
Yvain Mad (edition
of 4 in cast-stone)
Size (in): 17.5L x
13.5W x 9"H; weight: 25 lbs. $750 CAD including shipping.
(Also available in limited-edition bronze by request).
|
|
Click a thumbnail
above to show alternate larger views.
Can't afford a
sculpture right now? Consider donating to support the website, the art,
the philosophy, the cause of beauty...
|
|
The Sculpture: My
sculpture depicts the moment when the sleeping Yvain is about to be discovered
and cured of his insanity as described at right. He is nude and obviously
tormented, as his facial expression and contorted posture show. He has
one hand on his head and another on his heart, the two sources of his
disturbance; on the finger of his left hand the mark of his beloved's
ring, which was taken from him, is still visible. His masculine vulnerability
is apparent in the fetal posture he maintains. From a mythical perspective,
he also represents the archetypal "sleeping god," like Adonis,
Attis, and Osiris, whose awakening heralds the symbolic return of spring,
of love, renewal, and rebirth.
I have completed Yvain
Mad in a white cast stone edition of only four. As can be
seen in the images, the sculpture has the look of alabaster or marble
which captures the symbolic winter of Yvain's sleep while reinforcing
the classical style of the piece. There is also something unintentionally
Art Deco about him, perhaps in the highly angular nature of his pose.
Yvain Mad is
available as well upon request in bronze.
|
|
The Story:
This
is a sculpture drawn from the pages of a medieval romance by Chretien
de Troyes called Yvain, or the Knight with the Lion. Yvain, a knight
from King Arthur's court, wins the love of a powerful and magical lady
but is tempted away from home by his male buddies to participate in jousts
and tournaments. He promises his wife to return in a year, but forgets
the deadline completely and loses the love of his lady, after which he
goes insane, wandering the countryside naked and wild until he is eventually
found and cured. |
