L’ultimo Volo
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2002 Bronze 43 x 55 cm |
In art history, the basso-relievo or the mezzo-relievo, low relief and mid-relief respectively, adhere to the tradition of relief panels, which can be carved directly onto stone or other material that is then cast in metal. The relief technique allows for more dramatic gestures to be seen surface-wise, unlike sculptural work in the round. Often with an uncomplicated background, the relief carving forces the viewer to concentrate on foreground action, following a somewhat linear progression across the surface not unlike reading; but while also adopting the ‘perspectival’ window of a painting with illusionistic space inside and beyond the surface relief. In L’ultimo volo, or the ‘last flight’, Anna shows the arms of the figure thrown up the body weighted backwards. The pure energy of the posture, even though conveyed from a partial figure, is clearly felt in the tension of the three dimensional form ‘popping’ from the flat surface. It is tactile and visionary all at once. |