228. Androgyne III

 

Androgyne III
Magdalena Abakanowicz. 1985 C.E. Polish. Burlap, resin, wood, nails, and string

The creases, ridges, and veins of the hardened-fiber surface assume organic characteristics, reminiscent of the earth's rough surface or the cellular composition of human skin. The artist felt that it was these characteristics and manifestations that make fiber the base unit of the universe.

Theme: 

Humanity

Form: 

Molded-torso shell seated on low stretchers of wooden logs (fill in for lost legs?); body is a must w/out arms, legs or a head

Function: 

Alludes to brutality of war and the totalitarian state - expression of suffering (mournful/disturbing)

Content: 

Androgynous - focus on humanity not gender; fragmentary nature - reflects time in hospital and attack on mother; wrinkled skin and implication of backbones, musculature and veins distinguishing features; meant to be seen from 360 degrees - space/mass significant

Context: 

Beginning of WW2, Abakanowics witnessed a drunk German soldier burst into her house and shoot off her mother's arm; fled to Warsaw in 1944 where she worked in a makeshift hospital while finishing her high school education while hiding her aristocratic roots (enemy to Communist Poland); after war Social Realism taught in art school (perfected society) - disliked

• Magdalena Abakanowicz:
• Polish
• Known for making figures without heads or arms, both in groups and alone (has done sculptures of this type since 1974)

• Androgyne III:
• the figure
•  is on a short, wooden stretcher which acts as a substitute for his/her legs
• is hollowed out ("a shell made of hardened fiber casts -- which has the appearance of crinkled human skin--  made from plaster")
• made to be seen in the round
• heavily emphasizes space & mass 
• androgynous & ambiguous = wants viewers to focus on the figure as a human rather than as a man or woman & to allow for multiple interpretations
• chilling, fragmented -- expresses dehumanization and suffering in today's world (much of which is based upon Abakanowicz's own experiences with war & totalitarian states)

Cross-Cultural Comparisons: Human Figure

1. Tlatilco Female Figure
2. Lakshmana Temple detail
3. Nlo Bieri