Three Figures
Marion Held
1993
MATERIAL: ceramic: stoneware; wood: cedar
DIMENSIONS: overall: 91 in x 64 in x 21 in
EDITION: Unique
CREDIT: Grounds For Sculpture, Gift of The Seward Johnson Atelier
© Artist or Artist's Estate, photo: Ken Ek
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Sensuous surface qualities of dissimilar materials are essential to the sculptor Marion Held. In 'Three Figures', the artist fabricated high fire stoneware elements, glazed them with a lustrous oxide, and fired them in a wood burning kiln. The work is composed of metallic clay faces and torsos suspended in a large wooden frame; the geometric elements of the aged and weathered wood provide a stark contrast with the dark abstract figurative imagery. Held's work is often intended to evoke the distant past, offering a sense of the passage of time, alluding to an ancient structure or ritual. This work in particular also stands as a marker of contemporary conflicts; suggesting the transmigration and rebirth of the spirit. Ben Genocchio, New York Times Art Critic commented about the artist’s work, “Ms. Held’s art is also surrealist in its emphasis on the subconscious significance of its objects and imagery...”
