Museum of the Red River - Figurative Scultpure Show

Depicting the Human Figure  
March 6 - May 8, 2012 

 Sculpture and Models from the Collections
Featuring The Human Figure from Cultures Worldwide and
Across Time 
Depicting the Human Figure and Realizing Harmony Among
Form, Motion and Emotion 
Works by Raymond Wiger

Museum of the Red River - Idabel, Oklahoma

Discussing sculpting in wire mesh with visitors

Henry Moy, Director

       Daniel Vick, Keeper of Collections                                 Raymond Wiger at the entrance to the exhibit

 

Depicting The Human Figure

(Text from the Exhibit)

The earliest surviving sculpture or models of the human form date back almost 40,000 year.  They are found in Europe and carved from mammoth ivory.  Many of the earliest works fall into the “Venus” category of stylized females with exaggerated body parts including hips, thighs, buttocks, breasts and genitalia.  It is generally assumed they relate to concepts of fertility.  The Venus of Hohle Fels found in southwestern Germany dates back to at least 35,000 years ago.  The earliest male figure found to date is the Lion Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel, which seems to depict a human male with a lion’s head.  It has been dated to 30,000 B.C.  Clay or simple ceramic figures may have existed earlier, but they have not been preserved.  The earliest known clay figure is the 4” high Venus of Dolne Vestonice, found in the Czech Republic and dating to about 26,000 BC.

The collections of the Museum of the Red River include many hundreds of examples of the human sculptural form.  They come from cultures around the world, and span thousands of years of artistic history.  This exhibit highlights some of the more notable works, and organizes their display according to several approaches we use to appreciate them:  portraiture, substitution, and inspiration.

Portraiture

Depicting the individual or representing a specific person is best accomplished through visualizing the head and face.  It has not been uncommon for an artist to create or apply a separate face or head to a more generic “body” whether sculpted or painted.  It is with specific facial features that an individual is best identified.  The famous terra cotta “warriors” found in large pits around the tomb of China’s firs emperor (3rd century BC) is one example.  The over 8,000 individual, life-sized sculptures of soldiers have unique faces, modeled on ceramic heads which were then inserted into bodies which were mass produced.  In the 19th century, itinerant painters in Europe and North America traveled from town to town selling their talents, painting portrait faces onto canvases with pre-painted bodies in formal dress.

Substitution

Human figures often serve as surrogate representations or models of an actual person or character.  These range from toys to tomb figures.  Dolls are used to train children in the culture of their society.  They often include iconic imagery, body markings, costumes, or regalia to familiarize their young owners with specific, iconic traits.  They may be used in an entertainment context (puppets and “action” figures) to teach indirectly.

Figures found in tombs are often used as “stand-ins” or replacements for real people to serve the decedent in the next life.  In some religious contexts, a figure may be used to represent the worshipper, there to make prayers and offerings, maintain a spiritual connection, represent the family, etc.  Features are often generic, rarely bearing an individual true likeness.

Inspiration

Cultural heroes, religious figures, and even infamous characters are often represented in sculpted forms.  They provide a focus for education, adulation, and worship.  They inspire belief and faith in their society’s truths.  They represent the extremes of success and failure, the hopes and wishes of parents and leaders, and the fulfillment of religious needs.

  Many thanks to the entire staff of the Museum of the Red River.  The Museum is a gem among ethnographic collections in the United States and it was an honor to have been invited to participate in this exhibition. 

Museum of the Red River