Vaughan Huck
Pittwater High School
RECLINING FIGURE (AND STUDIES)
Collection of Work
Serpentine stone
Using the medium of stone sculpture, Reclining Figure represents the human figure in an abstract, distorted form. Properties of natural forms – shells, bones, eroding rocks – influenced its shape, and contrast with sharp contemporary lines in reference to modern architectural landscapes. My body of work comments on abstraction itself: beauty is found in the ‘randomness’ of natural structures and daily existence. It represents attributes of the human form literally and figuratively, exploring ideas of the ‘internal landscape’ of the human mind and the contortion of the psyche. This work uses the human figure as an organic, sculptural expression of the mind.
Marker's Commentary
This body of work successfully demonstrates a complex understanding of drawing and sculptural practices. The highly refined drawings showcase accomplished tonal rendering and the compositional choices of positioning stylised anatomical studies alongside more abstracted forms to allow multiple layers of interpretation. There is an acute understanding of the artmaking practices of modernist artists Jean Arp and Henry Moore with imagery inspired both materially and conceptually. Shape, light, form and mass are extensively explored in both forms. The highly polished sculptural form is slick, engaging and sophisticated. The angular and cavernous shapes are transformative and not only enhance the drawing component but also effectively unify the relationships within this mature collection.